By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday September 20, 2023
Sofia Kenin recorded her fifth Top-20 win of 2023, defeating Jelena Ostapenka in Guadalajara to reach the quarterfinals.
Photo Source: AP
Former World No.4 Sofia Kenin is building momentum and heading back up the rankings once again. The 24-year-old made it seven wins from her last eight matches on Wednesdsay in Guadalajara as she defeated Jelena Ostapenko, 6-4, 7-5 in a battle of former Grand Slam champions.
Kenin, who has now won seven of her last eight matches since the US Open, will return to the Top-50 next week for the first time since February of 2022. Last week's San Diego runner up is into the quarterfinals in Mexico and will face Canada's Leylah Fernandez for a spot in the semifinals.
Kenin won the pair's only meeting, at the 2020 US Open in the second round (6-4, 6-3).
Resurgent Kenin improves to 21-14 on the season after recording her 21st career Top-20 win, and her fifth of 2023.
The 2020 Australian Open champion reached her first final since 2020 last week in San Diego, before being ousted by Barbora Krejcikova 6-4 in the third set in the final.
She is projected to rise to No.40 in next week’s rankings and could get inside the Top-25 with a title.
Kenin was one of five Americans to reach the round of 16 in Guadalajara – she is joined by Caroline Dolehide in the quarterfinals. Dolehide stunned 8th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-1, 6-2, while Emma Navarro, Hailey Baptiste and Taylor Townsend were all knocked off.
Sakkari and Garcia push into last eight
Maria Sakkari, the No.2 seed, powered past Camila Giorgi 6-2, 6-2 to set a quarterfinal with World No.190 Emiliana Arango, while third-seeded Caroline Garcia shot past 21-year-old American Hailey Baptiste, 7-5, 6-4.
Victoria Azarenka reached her 25th career WTA 1000 quarterfinal with an impressive takedown of seventh-seeded Veronika Kudermetova – the 34-year-old will face Garcia in the last eight.
Azarenka is one of just five WTA players – along with Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Simona Halep – to play 25 1000-level quarterfinals since 2009.