Field Level Media
13 Aug 2020, 06:49 GMT+10
Coco Gauff survived a match that lasted nearly three hours on Wednesday to upset second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 and advance to the quarterfinals at The Top Seed Open in Lexington, Ky.
Both players struggled with their serves in the first tournament in the U.S. since the hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, with a combined 19 double faults (11 by Sabalenka) and 14 breaks of service (seven each).
Gauff rallied from a break down in the first set, then blew a 5-3 lead by being broken in back-to-back service games. But Gauff broke right back to force a tiebreaker, where she stormed out to a 5-0 lead before wrapping it up.
Gauff hung on temporarily late in the second set but then dropped it on her own serve. In the third, Sabalenka rallied from a break down to even it twice, but Gauff broke again at 4-4 and served out to win in 2 hours, 48 minutes.
Sixth-seeded Magda Linette of Poland also fell to an American, as Jennifer Brady cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 victory in just 68 minutes.
In other matches Wednesday, No. 8 Ons Jabeur of Tunisia overcame a rough start to beat Olga Govortsova of Belarus 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, and the Czech Republic's Marie Bouzkova downed Russia's Anna Blinkova 6-4, 6-2.
Prague Open
Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic upset second-seeded Petra Martic (Croatia) 6-1, 7-5 to advance to the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Pliskova, ranked 69th, picked up her first win over her 14th-ranked opponent. Pliskova will face Ana Bogdan of Romania in the next round. Bogdan advanced Wednesday after Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine) withdrew.
In Wednesday's other singles match, third-seed Elise Mertens of Belgium beat Camila Giorgi (Italy) 6-4, 6-2 and will play either Tamara Zidansek or Eugenie Bouchard in the quarterfinals.
--Field Level MediaGet a daily dose of Greek Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Greek Herald.
More InformationAMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Taoiseach Micheál Martin has expressed cautious optimism that the European Union and the United States can strike...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
PARIS, France: A strike by French air traffic controllers demanding improved working conditions caused significant disruptions during...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump is drawing praise from his core supporters after halting key arms shipments to Ukraine, a...
Only through mutual understanding can we eliminate barriers and foster the continued development of all civilizations. I believe this...
Washington DC [US], July 11 (ANI): Anime fans are in for a treat as one of the popular anime 'Sakamoto Days' is returning with its...
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): The India 'A' Men's Hockey Team is off to a flying start, registering back-to-back wins -- 6-1 and...
Britain and France unveiled a sweeping set of agreements on nuclear deterrence and migration control cooperation. by Xinhua Writers...