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Marie Bouzkova ended Sara Sorribes Tormo’s title defence in the quarter-finals of the Abierto Akron Zapopan, the WTA 250 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Friday, while Sloane Stephens was left as the last seed standing after her come-back win over Daria Saville.
Bouzkova posted the second upset of the day against the 3rd seed from Spain in the last match of the day, the Czech claiming a 6-4 6-1 win in an hour 46 minutes.
She will now play Wang Qiang in the semi-finals after the Chinese won her quarter-final encounter with Anna-Karolina Schmiedlova from Slovakia, 6-2 6-3, in an hour and 25 minutes.
The first upset of the day went to Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya, who upset 4th-seeded Camila Osorio of Colombia in their quarter-final clash, the World No 100 winning 6-4 6-1 in an hour and 20 minutes.
Kalinskaya won 69% of her first-serve points to Osorio’s 60%, and almost 59% of her second-serve points to her opponent’s 33%.
In terms of break point conversions, Kalinskaya made good on 5 of the 10 break point chances she had on Osorio’s serve, while conceding her own serve just once.
This is Kalinskaya’s 2nd appearance in a semi-final of a WTA event, coming almost 4 years since her first, at the 2019 Citi Open.
Stephens made it into the semi-finals when the No 6 seed outlasted Saville in their quarter-final clash, coming from a set down to oust the Australian, 4-6 6-3 6-2, in 2 hours and 29 minutes.
Both players won around 61% of their first-serve points, but the American was able to win more off her second serves, 54 percent compared to the Australian’s 34%, while Stephens who, despite facing 13 break points, was able to save 9 of them, against Saville’s 4 of 10, and she was able to hold onto her service games, converting 6 of 10 break points on her opponent’s serve.
This is the first time in almost 5 years that Stephens, a former US Open champion, has reached the semi-finals of a hard-court event, the last time being in 2018, at the WTA Finals that year.
Stephens is also seeking to reach her first final in as many years, with her last final coming at the same tournament where she lost to Elina Svitolina.
Sloane Stephens came from a set down to get past Daria Saville, and is the last seed standing in Guadalajara