(Stuttgart) Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka reached the quarterfinals at the Stuttgart Open on Wednesday, winning 6-2, 6-3 over Czech Barbora Krejcikova.
The Australian Open champion has reached the final round two years in a row in Stuttgart.
However, she has not yet triumphed in this tournament on clay.
Queen of Paris in 2021, Krejcikova is 1-5 against Sabalenka.
Fifth seed Coco Gauff needed almost three hours to defeat Veronika Kudermetova 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (3).
PHOTO MARIJAN MURAT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
American Coco Gauff
The Russian won the last four games of the second set to force a final set, where she came from behind 3-5 to force the tiebreaker.
Gauff will have Anastasia Potapova as her next rival.
Elena Rybakina won five games in a row en route to a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Jule Niemeier, who had taken a 3-1 lead in the second set.
PHOTO MARIJAN MURAT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Kazakh Elena Rybakina
She will now face Beatriz Haddad Maia.
Playing for the third time in four tournaments, Karolina Pliskova defeated eighth seed Maria Sakkari 6-2, 6-3 to set the stage for a clash against Donna Vekic.
