By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday January 2, 2025
You’ve heard of Americans in Paris? How about Americans in Auckland? Six of them, in fact.
The quarerfinals at this year’s ASB Classic are 75 percent stars and stripes after Team USA scored a banner day in Auckland last night.
Friday’s last eight will feature two all-American clashes, with Bernarda Pera facing Robin Montgomery, while Alycia Parks will take on Katie Volynets. Additionally, top-seeded Madison Keys will play Denmark’s Clara Tauson and DC native Haily Baptiste will face seventh-seeded Naomi Osaka.
23-year-old Baptiste saved a match point to defeat Great Britain’s Jodie Burrage, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(6), to reach her maiden WTA quarterfinal. Montgomery, 20, beat Nao Hibino, 6-2, 6-2. Parks reached her first outdoor hard court quarterfinal with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Greet Minnen, while Keys needed just 46 minutes to thump Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian, 6-1, 6-2.
All four quarterfinals will take place on Friday night in Auckland (Thursday night in the US).