Image Source : TWITTER/@SOFIAKENIN Sofia Kenin
Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and second-seeded Elina Svitolina had been eradicated from the season-opening Abu Dhabi Open on Monday.
Kenin misplaced to ninth-seeded Maria Sakkari 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 within the quarterfinals. Svitolina misplaced to unseeded Russian Veronika Kudermetova 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3).
Sakkari hit 9 aces and 23 winners, whereas Kenin had zero aces and solely eight winners. The loss was Kenin’s third in 14 profession quarterfinal matches.
“I was rushing a little bit too much in the beginning of the match,” Sakkari mentioned. “I was hitting too big when I didn’t have to, but I’m glad that once again I found a way to just turn the match around.”
Sakkari will subsequent face fourth-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who gained her thirteenth straight match by beating Elena Rybakina 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Sabalenka completed final season with titles on the Ostrava and Linz indoor tournaments and has began 2021 with 4 wins in Abu Dhabi. Sabalenka has gained three of the 4 matches she has performed in opposition to Sakkari, all of them on arduous courts.
Svitolina twice got here again from a break down within the deciding set, together with when Kudermetova served for the match at 6-5, however trailed 3-0 within the tiebreak and could not recuperate.
Kudermetova will subsequent play Marta Kostyuk within the semifinals with each gamers trying to attain what can be their first profession tour ultimate.
Kostyuk, an 18-year-old Ukrainian, misplaced the opening seven video games of her match in opposition to Sara Sorribes Tormo earlier than successful 0-6, 6-1, 6-4.
