Top-seeded Jessica Pegula needed just 58 minutes on Friday to post a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Russia’s Anna Blinkova to reach the semifinals of the ATX Open in Austin, Texas.
Pegula won 76.9 percent of her first-serve points and converted 5 of 7 break points while cruising to the victory. She is into her second semifinal of the season, the other coming at Adelaide where she eventually lost to Madison Keys in the final in January.
Pegula will next face Australian wild card Ajla Tomljanovic, who outlasted Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (8) in their quarterfinal match. Tomljanovic saved a match point in the third-set tiebreaker while winning four of the final five points.
In other Friday quarterfinals, fifth-seeded McCartney Kessler will face Romania’s Sorana Cirstea and American Caroline Dolehide will meet Belgium’s Greet Minnen.
Merida Open Akron
Elina Avanesyan of Armenia converted 9 of 14 break points while rallying for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory over Australian qualifier Maya Joint in Merida, Mexico.
Avanesyan dominated the third set by winning 30 of the 44 total points. She will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between top-seeded Emma Navarro and Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, slated for later Friday.
Also on Friday’s docket are quarterfinal matches between Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova and Colombia’s Emiliana Arango, and another involving second-seeded Paula Badosa of Spain against qualifier Daria Saville of Australia.
–Field Level Media
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