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Pegula sends Pliskova packing again

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DUBAI: Jessica Pegula handed Karolina Pliskova a second hefty defeat in as many weeks as she knocked out the sixth-ranked Czech 6-0, 6-2 to march into the Dubai quarterfinals on Wednesday.


The American world No 36, who enjoyed a breakthrough run to the quarters at the Australian Open last month, needed a mere 53 minutes to send Pliskova packing in even more dominating fashion than the straight-sets drubbing she gave her last week in Doha.


Pegula has now won 13 of her last 15 matches on tour and is through to the quarterfinals at a WTA 1000-level tournament for the second time in her career. “This is definitely the best of any other year I’ve had (on tour),” said the 26-year-old, who next faces Caroline Garcia or Elise Mertens for a place in the final four.


She added: “I’m just really happy I’m able to do it, especially in a time where, with the pandemic, it’s been really hard to know what’s going to happen in the future, so I think also in a way maybe it helped me mentally not to take each match for granted. “I’m definitely going out there competing as hard as I can just with all that’s going on in the world.”


A Pliskova double fault handed Pegula an early break of serve and the American did not blink en route to a 20-minute 6-0 lead.


Pliskova started the second set on better footing, breaking serve in the opening game, but Pegula pegged her back and stormed to victory when her second-seeded opponent struck her seventh double fault of the match.


Over on Court 1, Czech world No 63 Barbora Krejcikova reached her first quarter-final at this level with a 6-3, 6-2 success over Russian three-time finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova.


BENCIC STUNNED


A day of third-round upsets in Dubai saw Anastasia Potapova take out former champion Belinda Bencic in three sets, before Aryna Sabalenka and Elise Mertens restored a semblance of order for the seeds.

Wildcard Anastasia Potapova’s breakthrough week continued with a 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 upset of Belinda Bencic, who had been the only former Dubai champion remaining in the draw - an unwelcome gift on the No 6 seed’s 24th birthday. Bencic was joined on the sidelines by two former finalists, Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Krejcikova ousting Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2.


Potapova underwent ankle surgery last August and only returned to action in January. But the former junior World No 1’s level was impressive during the Australian swing, where she played both Simona Halep and Serena Williams closely, and this week she has begun translating her form into results.


The 19-year-old Potapova’s defeats of Bencic and, one round earlier, No 11 seed Madison Keys, were her third and fourth Top 20 wins, and first since her upset of Angelique Kerber at Roland Garros 2019. They have put the Russian into her fifth WTA semifinal, first since Jurmala 2019 and first above 250/International level.


Pegula and Potapova were joined by another first-time WTA 1000 quarterfinalist in Krejcikova, the former doubles World No 1 whose singles surge since the tour resumption has brought her to World No 63 in the rankings. However, two seeds to survive were No 3 Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated No 15 Anett Kontaveit 6-3, 6-2, and No 10 Elise Mertens, who continued to turn her rivalry against Caroline Garcia around with a 6-4, 6-2 win.


Sabalenka was in fine fettle in overpowering Kontaveit in just 61 minutes. A 71per cent first-serve percentage enabled the Belarusian, who faced just one breakpoint, to dominate. That was in the second game of the second set, and after navigating that hurdle Sabalenka’s game went into overdrive. A sequence of four blistering backhand winners in five points to seal the double break was a particularly impressive patch of play.


Mertens and Pegula will clash next, in a rematch of last year’s Western & Southern Open quarterfinal. The Belgian had lost all three of her meetings against Garcia prior to this year, but following her first win over Garcia at the Gippsland Trophy has now posted two victories in a row. — Agencies


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