Barty advances but Pliskova out
WORLD No. 1 Ashleigh Barty fended off a late comeback attempt by American Sofia Kenin to reach the Wuhan Open quarterfinals yesterday, while second seed Karolina Pliskova was knocked out in straight sets by Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska.
After cruising through the first set without any trouble, Barty fought back from a break down in the next, saving two set points to overcome Kenin 6-3, 7-5 for her third win over the 20-year-old Guangzhou champion in four meetings this season.
Next up for the Australian top seed will be Croatia’s Petra Martic, who defeated Russian qualifier Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 6-1.
World No. 2 Pliskova’s hopes of dethroning Barty as world No. 1 by the end of the week ended with a 1-6, 4-6 defeat by Yastremska.
The unseeded 19-year-old did not drop serve and smashed 26 winners past her Czech opponent for the first top-10 victory of her career.
Yastremska next faces another Czech top-10 opponent in Petra Kvitova, who advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over American Sloane Stephens — her first win over the former US Open champion.
Wimbledon champion Simona Halep was forced to retire from her match against wildcard Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan while trailing 4-5 in the first set after feeling sharp pain in her back.
The Romanian had suffered a herniated disk late last year which ruled her out of the season-ending WTA Finals.
“It’s a lower back (injury). I think it’s more muscle, but I don’t know yet because I didn’t check it properly,” the fourth seed told reporters.
“At four-all, 0-30, with the backhand... I had a sharp pain. I don’t know yet (if it is the same as the previous injury). It looks a little bit different but it’s still the same zone.”
Rybakina will face Belarusian ninth seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, who dispatched sixth-seeded Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 6-1, 7-6 (9).
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina beat Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-2 to stay on course to qualify for the season-ending WTA Finals in Shenzhen where she will bid to retain her title.
Svitolina plays Alison Riske in the quarterfinals, the American having ousted eighth-seeded Wang Qiang 6-2, 6-1. It was a disappointing end for the home favorite, who last year became the first Chinese player to reach the semifinals of the Wuhan Open.
In Zhuhai, southern Guangdong Province, Nick Kyrgios served underarm once again but the fiery Australian fell away dramatically in the second set in a limp first-round exit at the Zhuhai Championships yesterday.
The 24-year-old Australian, who has been accused of tanking matches in the past, led the veteran Italian Andreas Seppi 4-1 in the first set, only to go down 6-7 (5), 1-6 .
Kyrgios, who has had numerous runins with tennis authorities, elicited a few giggles from a sparse crowd iwith an underarm serve in the first set.
Coasting 3-1 and 40-0 up, the 27thranked Kyrgios served weakly into the net, before surging into a 4-1 lead.
But the Australian, who then appeared to be troubled by his right shoulder, faded alarmingly from there and his previously dominant serve collapsed.
He repeatedly felt his shoulder and his game disintegrated as he went down in the first-set tie break.
The second set was a non-contest as Seppi, 35, ranked 74, strolled into round two in 65 unpredictable minutes.
In second-round matches, Spanish eighth seed Albert Ramos beat Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia 7-6 (2), 6-3 while third-seeded Frenchman Gael Monfils battled past Briton Cameron Norrie 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.
In Chengdu, southwestern Sichuan Province, Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan upset sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 at the Chengdu Open yesterday.
Bublik had 25 aces against his American opponent and saved four of five break points to advance to the Round of 16.
Denis Shapovalov also advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Ricardas Berankas of Lithuania. The eighth-seeded Canadian set up a match against American qualifier Bradley Klahn.
Portugal’s Joao Sousa beat wildcard Chung Hyeon of South Korea 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 and next faces second-seeded Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime.
(Agencies)