SAN DIEGO: World No. 26 Emma Navarro moved to her third quarter-final of this season after beating Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the San Diego Open. Navarro will next face Australian qualifier Daria Saville in a quarter-final. While Siniakova outperformed her from the baseline, hitting 23 wins to Navarro's 15, the American remained tough to break.
Siniakova attempted nine break points, but Navarro saved six of them. In comparison, Navarro made five of her seven break attempts. Earlier in the day, No.7 seed Donna Vekic of Croatia held off a strong attempt from Canadian youngster Marina Stakusic before winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, securing a place in the semifinals.
Vekic, the 2022 San Diego runner-up, needed precisely two hours to defeat rising 19-year-old Stakusic, a qualifier rated No.283. Vekic, the world number 28, is currently in her second quarterfinal of the season, having reached the semifinals in Linz a month earlier. "It was a very tough match today, tough conditions, and she played really well.
Really happy to win today and have another opportunity tomorrow," Vekic said afterwards as quoted by WTA. Stakusic, who broke through last year as one of Canada's heroes on their way to their first Billie Jean King Cup title, smacked a winning volley to lead 2-1 in the third set. However, former Top 20 player Vekic refused to give up in the final and broke Stakusic twice in a row, pushing up 4-2 and gaining the break lead for herself. Vekic coolly served out the match at 5-3, with a 76 per cent success rate on her first serve. Anna Blinkova also moved into the quarter-finals with a win.