By Adrianna Outlaw | Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Louisa Chirico upset No. 5 seed Alize Cornet, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6, to reach her first career WTA quarterfinal in Washington, D.C.
Photo credit: Christopher Levy.
Louisa Chirico beat the heat and a feisty Alize Cornet to cap a coming of age moment in Washington, D.C.
The 19-year-old American wild card upset Cornet, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (4) in a grueling three-hour baseline battle played in scorching conditions to reach her first career WTA quarterfinal at the Citi Open.
More: Washington, D.C. Photo Gallery
Chirico started the week seeing her first WTA main-draw victory and is now one win removed from the semifinals.
Fresh off her eighth career title on the red clay of Bad Gastein, Samantha Stosur was the first woman to reach the last eight.
The second-seeded Stosur swept Irina Falconi, 6-1, 7-5, hitting eight aces to stretch her winning streak to seven matches. Stosur will play Romanian Monica Niculescu for a place in the final four. Niculescu rallied for a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 triumph over American Lauren Davis.
The 128th-ranked Chirico, who lives in Westchester County, New York, and has frequently trained at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, played with poise throughout the match.
Managing both her shots and nerve shrewdly, Chirico hit with depth winning the first set.
Cornet broke back for 4-all in the second set. When Chirico put a forehand into net off her back foot, Cornet had a second break to snatch the second set.
Three straight breaks opened the decisive set. Chirico earned the first hold for a 3-1 lead. Cornet came back to level before the 128th-ranked American broke again for 4-3. This time, Chirico backed up the break, stretching her lead to 5-3, but Cornet reeled off three consecutive games to go up 6-5.
Chirico held to force the tie break. Hitting with more conviction, she took charge in the tie break.
When Cornet netted a forehand return on match point, Chirico pumped her fist twice in celebration of her biggest win. She will face either fellow American Sloane Stephens for a spot in the quarterfinals. Stephens advanced when Svetlana Kuznetsova was forced to pull out due to injury on Wednesday.