Former finalist Maria Sakkari has advanced to the quarter-finals of the Washington Open at the expense of second-seeded American Emma Navarro,
Greek player Sakkari, the 2023 runner-up to Coco Gauff at this tournament, scored a 7-5 7-6 (7-1) win over Navarro in their round-of-16 clash on Wednesday (local time).
In another upset, unseeded Russian Anna Kalinskaya eliminated No. 8 seed Magda Linette, of Poland, 6-4 6-0 to also make the quarter-finals.
Also advancing was Danish No.4 seed Clara Tauson, who beat American qualifier Caroline Dolehide 3-6 7-5 6-4.
It was a mixed day for veteran American Venus Williams, whose run in doubles with partner Hailey Baptiste ended in the second round with a 6-4 3-6 10-6 loss in a champion’s tiebreaker to the second-seeded American-Chinese pairing of Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai.
The 45-year-old Williams is competing at her first tournament in more than a year – and first in doubles since 2022. She and Baptiste won their first-round match on Monday.
Williams will play her second-round singles match on Thursday against Magdalena Frech.
On Tuesday, Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, beating Payton Stearns – who is 23 – in straight sets. Martina Navratilova was 47 when she picked up her last singles victory in 2004.
Williams’ return to professional tennis will not just be a one-tournament visit. After her singles win in Washington, she was awarded a wildcard entry for next month’s Cincinnati Open.
The Cincinnati event begins on August 5 and is a hard-court tune-up for the US Open.
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