Volynets grabs last 7 games to beat Potapova in Austin

Associated PressMar 1, 2023, 11:17 PM EST

Jay Janner-USA TODAY NETWORK

AUSTIN, Texas – Katie Volynets saved a match point and grabbed the last seven games to come back and beat third-seeded Anastasia Potapova 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 at the ATX Open to reach her first WTA quarterfinal.

Volynets, a 21-year-old born in California who is ranked 92nd, was just a point from defeat while trailing 5-0 in the third set and facing a break point. But she claimed the next three points to hold serve there and was on her way to the big turnaround.

“At 0-5, I was really like: ‘Please, not a bagel! I really don’t want to get bageled.’ And then I get that first game, and then I get more confidence rolling into the second game,” Volynets said. “And honestly, it was kind of quick.”

She wound up taking 27 of the match’s last 32 points.

“The match,” Volynets said, “was definitely a roller coaster.”

In January, Volynets qualified for the Australian Open and reached the third round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time.

Now Volynets will face Peyton Stearns – who won the NCAA singles championship for the University of Texas last year – for a spot in the semifinals at the inaugural edition of the hard-court tournament in the state capital. Stearns got past Mirjam Bjorklund 6-3, 7-5 on Wednesday night in a match between two wild-card recipients.

The highest-seeded woman left in the field, No. 4 Sloane Stephens, beat qualifier Heather Watson 6-4, 6-4. Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, will meet 88th-ranked Varvara Gracheva in the quarterfinals. It’s a rematch of a contest won by Stephens last week in Merida, Mexico.

Gracheva, who eliminated top-seeded Magda Linette in the first round in Austin, advanced Wednesday by defeating Anna Blinkova 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 in an all-Russian matchup.

Elena Rybakina hits 10 aces in Miami for 12th straight win

Associated PressMar 28, 2023, 9:50 PM EDT

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina extended her winning streak to 12 matches by delivering 10 aces – her fourth consecutive outing with at least that many – in a 6-3, 6-0 victory over 25th-seeded Martina Trevisan in the Miami Open quarterfinals.

Rybakina has 46 aces through four matches at the hard-court tournament in Florida and a WTA-leading 201 this season.

The 23-year-old, who represents Kazakhstan, improved to 20-4 in 2023, including a run to the Australian Open final in January and a title at Indian Wells, California, last week.

She is trying to become only the fifth player to win the women’s trophies at Indian Wells and Miami in the same season. Top-ranked Iga Swiatek did it a year ago; she withdrew from Miami this time because of a rib injury.

“Of course it would be amazing to achieve something like that,” the 10th-seeded Rybakina said about the prospect of completing what’s known as the Sunshine Double, “but it’s still far away.”

So far in Rybakina’s career, 13 of her 18 semifinal appearances have come on hard courts. She will face No. 3 Jessica Pegula for a berth in the final after the American fought off two match points and outlasted No. 27 Anastasia Potapova 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2) in a match that ended just before 1:30 a.m. after play had been delayed by rain.

“I haven’t been that physically tired in just a really long time,” Pegula said. “Just the humidity was taking so much out of me, and I haven’t been able to play in humidity like that in a while. It was just really tough, so really, it was just pure will.”

Trevisan reached the French Open semifinals in 2022.

In fourth-round men’s action Tuesday, No. 2 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was beaten 7-6 (4), 6-4 by No. 14 Karen Khachanov, while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner all beat seeded opponents in straight sets.

Alcaraz, who returned to No. 1 in the ATP rankings last week, got past Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-4 to set up a meeting against Fritz, the top-ranked American man and seeded ninth in Miami.

Fritz compiled twice as many winners, 22, as unforced errors, 11, and only dropped serve once during a 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 7 Holger Rune. That put Fritz into his first quarterfinal in seven appearances in Miami – and his first matchup against Alcaraz, a 19-year-old from Spain who won the U.S. Open in September for his first Grand Slam title.

“I’m really excited for it,” Fritz said. “I think that a lot of people are really excited for that, too.”

No. 10 Sinner eliminated No. 6 Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 and has yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Sinner’s next opponent will be unseeded Emil Ruusuvuori, a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 winner against No. 26 Botic van de Zandschulp.

No. 4 Daniil Medvedev, forced to start late and off his scheduled court after the rain, beat Quentin Halys 6-4, 6-2. He will face American Christopher Eubanks, who edged Adrian Mannarino in a pair of tiebreakers.

Khachanov will play Francisco Cerundolo, a semifinalist in Miami last year, in the other men’s quarterfinal.

Fritz, Sinner reach Miami Open quarterfinals with 2-set wins

Associated PressMar 28, 2023, 4:31 PM EDT

Getty Images

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Taylor Fritz and Jannik Sinner beat seeded opponents in straight sets at the Miami Open to move into the quarterfinals.

No. 9 Fritz compiled twice as many winners, 22, as unforced errors, 11, and only dropped serve once during a 6-3, 6-4 victory over No. 7 Holger Rune.

That put Fritz, the highest-ranked American man, into his first quarterfinal in seven appearances at the hard-court tournament.

He will face either No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz or Australian Open semifinalist Tommy Paul next. Alcaraz is the defending champion in Miami.

No. 10 Sinner eliminated No. 6 Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 and has yet to drop a set in the tournament.

Sinner’s next opponent will be No. 26 Botic van de Zandschulp or unseeded Emil Ruusuvuori.