No.4 seed Caroline Garcia completed the Adelaide International 2 quarterfinal lineup with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win over qualifier Katerina Siniakova in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
The victory was Garcia's sixth in a row, a streak also encompassing her WTA Finals Fort Worth title at the end of 2022 and an unbeaten United Cup campaign last week. She will aim for a seventh against No.8 seed Belinda Bencic in the last eight.
Siniakova is a player who had given Garcia much trouble in the past. The Czech came into the match leading the head-to-head 4-2, including the last three in a row; Garcia had not beaten her since the second round of the 2016 US Open.
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However, the Frenchwoman roared out of the blocks in a bid to rectify that, leaping to a 5-0 lead without facing a game point. But Siniakova saved the first three set points she faced, all on Garcia's serve at 5-1, and though this was too late to save the set, the rhythm she gained stood her in good stead for the second.
Garcia's serve was a major weapon throughout, firing 14 aces in total. A trio of them helped her escape from the first break point of the second set in the sixth game. But she was unable to convert a pair on Siniakova's serve in the next game; serving at 3-4, Garcia's forehand leaked a series of errors to hand the World No.48 her first break of the match.
Garcia appeared to have regained control in the third set after slamming consecutive return winners to break Siniakova after a five-deuce tussle and build a 3-0 lead. But fine down-the-line work enabled Siniakova to level at 3-3, and a sequence of rapid holds followed.
It was Garcia who raised her level when she needed to. Another return winner brought up her first match points at 6-5, and she converted the third with a backhand crosscourt -- her 42nd winner of the night compared to Siniakova's tally of 21.
Pure power from @paulabadosa #AdelaideTennis pic.twitter.com/KZkoHGUwVn
— wta (@WTA) January 11, 2023
No.9 seed Paula Badosa of Spain bolstered her start to the season by sealing a spot in the Adelaide International 2 quarterfinals with a 6-1, 7-5 win over lucky loser Kaia Kanepi on Wednesday.
With her 1-hour and 23-minute victory over seven-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist Kanepi, Badosa has defeated the two Estonians ranked inside the Top 40 back-to-back this week. Badosa ousted Estonian No.1 Anett Kontaveit in the first round.
Former World No.2 Badosa, who is exactly a year removed from her most recent WTA singles title at 2022 Sydney, survived 27 winners from big-hitting Kanepi to level their rivalry at one win apiece. Badosa had 22 winners and just eight unforced errors in the match.
The Spaniard eased through the first set before Kanepi made a much tougher test of things in the second set. However, a backhand volley winner in the 4-4 game gave Badosa a break point, which she converted after a wide rally backhand by Kanepi.
Kanepi, though, returned to level footing immediately, as Badosa double faulted the next game away when serving for the match. But Badosa used heavy, deep returns to reclaim her break and lead 6-5, where she successfully served out the win on the second time of asking.
Next for Badosa will be her first meeting against No.11 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia, who defeated another lucky loser, Amanda Anisimova, earlier on Wednesday.
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No.5 seed Daria Kasatkina also moved into the quarterfinals with a win on Wednesday. Kasatkina knocked out former Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-2, 7-5 to clinch her spot in the elite eight.
World No.8 Kasatkina took an hour and a half to notch the victory and level her head-to-head record against Krejcikova at 1-1. Kasatkina hit six aces and converted four of her seven break points en route to her first win of the 2023 season.
Kasatkina will take on another Grand Slam champion in the quarterfinals when she faces two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Thursday. In their only prior meeting, Kvitova dismissed Kasatkina 6-4, 6-0 in the 2018 Madrid quarterfinals.
