Kazakh tennis star Elena Rybakina reached the quarter-finals at the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open by rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win against Danielle Collins in the United Arab Emirates.
Rybakina improved to 3-1 against Collins with the two-hour, 17-minute victory. Rybakina trailed 3-2 in the second set and 2-1 in the deciding set before surviving to face Spain’s Cristina Busca, a 7-6 (1), 7-5 winner over Great Britain’s Heather Watson.
No. 8 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia ousted Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina 6-1, 6-3 to set up a quarterfinal clash with No. 4 Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic. Krejcikova was ahead 6-2, 1-0 when Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tomo was forced to retire.
Transylvania Open Sara Errani of Italy cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 upset of No. 2 seed Tatjana Maria of Germany to make the quarterfinals in Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Errani saved the only break point she faced and converted five of her seven break chances in the 61-minute match. Up next is Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic, who had a breezy 6-2, 6 -1 win over Colombia’s Camila Osorio.
Two other seeds fell as Britain’s Harriet Dart outlasted No. 5 Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy 5-7, 7-5, 6-3 and Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova took out No. 6 Elina Avanesyan of Russia, who retired trailing 6-2, 6-7 (5), 2-0. Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian defeated Denmark’s Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-0.—INP
