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Abu Dhabi: Top seed Daria Kasatkina survived an early scare to secure her spot in the quarter-finals of the inaugural Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open hosted by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
The world No. 8 emerged from difficult conditions with a 1-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Jill Tehiman at the Zayed Sports City International Tennis Center on Thursday.
Kasatkina’s slow start gave Teichmann a quick first-set lead before Abu Dhabi’s No. 1 equalized in the second set 6-0. An early break of serve by the world No. 8 helped close the match in the third set.
Of her first win, Kasatkina said: “It’s an important win, just to gain the confidence to play and win in this tournament and to know what to play on this course tonight in difficult conditions with lights and wind .
“I’m happy because after the first rough game I was able to calm down and recover and find ways to make my opponent uncomfortable. I’m happy that my head was clear and I was able to win and improve today. “
Elena Rybakina continued her promising start to 2023, beating former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in straight sets to seal the A place in the quarter-finals. The new world No. 10 secured her place in the quarter-finals starting Friday with a 6-4, 6-2 victory in her opening match in Abu Dhabi.
After winning the championship, Rybakina said: “It’s great to be able to win today. The windy conditions today are very challenging, but we have to adapt. Overall, I am satisfied with the victory.
“I love playing in the UAE. I trained here for pre-season and it’s always great to spend time here. I’m looking forward to the next games and excited to be part of this new game.”
Earlier, Liudmila Samsonova overcame Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 7-6 in a tight match. The score advances to the quarter-finals on Friday. Last month’s Australian Open women’s doubles champion Krydzikova saved five match points but lost to Samsonova in a second-set tie-break. Samsonova’s win sets the stage for Friday’s quarter-final clash with world No. 11 Veronica Kudermetova.
The final bout was the longest of the day, with Beatriz Haddad Maia beating Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 in just over three hours. Haddad Maia blazed the first set 6-4, followed by an epic 88-minute second set as Putintseva refused to give in and saved three match points to seal the tiebreak. Haddad Maya then closed out the match, winning the third set 7-6 in the final tie-break to secure her place in Friday’s quarter-final clash with third seed Rybakina.
In the doubles quarter-finals, Luisa Stephanie/Zhang Shuai defeated Kirsten Flipkens/Laura Zigmund 6-4, 6-4 in straight sets to advance to the week. Six semifinals. Desirae Krawczyk and Giuliana Olmos then defeated Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic 6-3, 7-6 to secure their place in the semi-finals in Abu Dhabi.
U.S. qualifier Shelby Rodgers will face world No. 9 Belinda Bencic in Friday’s quarter-final, before top seed Kasatkina takes on Zheng Qinwen at Stadium Court. opening. Haddad Maia will be targeting an upset as she takes on third seed Rybakina in the final match of the evening, which sees Veronika Kudermetova take on Samsonova.
In the remaining doubles quarter-finals, Miyu Kato/Nikulescu will face Yang Zhaoxuan/Vera Zvonareva on Court 1 for Saturday’s semi-final spot.
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