Azarenka advances to Mexico tournament quarterfinals
Victoria Azarenka (WTA: 37) reached the quarterfinals of a $2,527,250 WTA 1000 major tennis tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico. In the third round match, which lasted 2 hours and 13 minutes, the Belarusian tennis player defeated the American Madison Keys (WTA: 15) – 6:4, 6:7 (4:7), 6:1.
In the first set, the former world number one broke Keys in the first two games and although the American made a break in the fourth, she succumbed.
With good returns and a serve that remained unbeatable, Azarenka led 5:4 in the second set after breaking in the seventh game but could not finish and Madison equalised the score 5:5. The pressure reduced the performance of both; Keys couldn’t confirm the break and fell behind 5:6, and then Azarenka was also imprecise on serve and caused a tie break, won by the American 7:4.
Azarenka looked in great physical shape. She showed it in the third set, in which, after simultaneous breaks, won five games in a row to secure victory against her rival.
Earlier, Victoria Azarenka defeated Elina Avanesyan from Russia (WTA: 130) (6:4, 6:2) and Spaniard Paula Badosa (WTA: 8) (6:2, refusal). In the quarterfinals, she will face Coco Gauff of the United States (WTA: 7).
Two more Belarusians have been already knocked out from Guadalajara Open Akron. In the 1/32 finals, Aliaksandra Sasnovich (WTA: 32) was defeated by Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (WTA: 58) (1:6, 3:6) while Aryna Sabalenka (WTA: 4), who missed the first round as the second seed, lost to Russian Liudmila Samsonova (WTA: 22) in the 1/16 finals (4:6, 6:2, 2:6).
The tournament in Guadalajara takes place on the hard surface. The final of the competition is scheduled for October 23rd.
