The No.2 seed Maria Sakkari marked her return to the Guadalajara Open with 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Storm Hunter in the second round. A finalist last year, Sakkari will face Camila Giorgi in the Round of 16. “I think it was a very solid match. Obviously, it was a little cunning in the second set. But at the same time, it was good that I put myself in that situation and I overcame it,”Sakkari said. “I couldn’t ask for a better place to come to overcome my fears, my doubts my tough emotions. Before the match, I was excited to come back out on this court,” Sakkari said.
Emma Navarro defeated No. 4 seed Madison Keys 6-2, 7-6(5) in the final match of the night session to move on to the Round of 16. The 22-year-old Charleston native, who is now rated No. 49, has triumphed in seven of her previous eight matches overall. Navarro just made it to the San Diego semi-finals, where she beat Sakkari for her first-ever Top 20 victory. She has now defeated Keys twice in as many weeks. Navarro played a more controlled game in one hour, 23-minute period to defeat Keys for the first time. Keys was broken five times by Navarro, who profited from his inability to manage the US Open semi-finalist.
Caroline Garcia reaches second round
No.3 seed Caroline Garcia defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich in three sets after saving two match points to reach the second round. No.10 seed Victoria Azarenka also progressed to the Round of 16. The third-seeded player saved two match points in a come-from-behind second round victory at the WTA 1000 event, 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4.
In spite of making 85 unintentional mistakes in 2 hours and 45 minutes during her first match of the week as she struggled to adapt to the altitude, Garcia maintained a positive attitude and eventually improved in the third set. Garcia advances to face American Hailey Baptiste in the third round. Baptiste defeated No. 16 seed Karolina Pliskova in the second round by saving a match point. With a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory over Dayana Yastremska in the same quarter of the draw, former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka also advanced to the Round of 16. To keep the match from going to a third set, Azarenka had to save two set points at 5-4 in the second set. After 2 hours and 9 minutes of play, the two-time Australian Open champion was able to break free and end the second-set tiebreak.
