MONTREAL: Russia’s Liudmila Samsonova upset Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to book her place in the quarter-finals of the weather-hit WTA Montreal Open on Friday.
Samsonova, seeded 15th, battled into the last eight with a 7-6 (7/2), 4-6, 6-3 win over the second-seeded Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion from Belarus.
The last-16 clash in Montreal had been shunted into the Friday morning schedule after heavy rain wreaked havoc with Thursday’s play at the hardcourt tournament, a US Open tuneup.
It means Samsonova will return later Friday to face 12th seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
Bencic advanced to the last eight on Friday after coming from behind to defeat Petra Kvitova 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-1 in another game rescheduled from Thursday due to weather delays. -AFP