Navarro advances to quarterfinals; Vekic outlasts Stakusic at San Diego Open

Emma Navarro of America advanced to her third quarterfinal of the season after defeating Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the San Diego Open. Navarro will face Australian qualifier Daria Saville on Friday in a bid to make her third semifinal of the season and first at a WTA 500 since San Diego last fall.

The 22-year-old Navarro, who won her first WTA title in January in Hobart, has already notched 14 main draw wins this season. She is tied with World No.1 Iga Swiatek for the third-most wins this season, sitting behind only Elena Rybakina and Jelena Ostapenko, according to ATP rankings.

No.7 seed Donna Vekic of Croatia also secured her spot in the quarterfinals after a tough 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Canadian teenager Marina Stakusic. Vekic, the 2022 San Diego runner-up, will now face Great Britain’s Katie Boulter in the quarterfinals, marking their first meeting on the court.

Vekic faced a valiant effort by Stakusic, who is a rising 19-year-old qualifier ranked No.283. It took Vekic exactly 2 hours to overcome Stakusic and pave her way into her second quarterfinal of the season, following her semifinal showing at Linz a month ago. It will be an interesting match between Vekic and Boulter, who upset No.2 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia on Wednesday.

The win is Navarro’s second over Siniakova this month, having previously defeated the Czech player in three sets at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Navarro, who has been showcasing strong performance this season, will look to continue her winning streak and advance further in the San Diego Open.