Top seed Simona Halep and defending champion Katerina Siniakova both marched into the quarterfinals of the Shenzhen Open on Wednesday.
Playing the big serving world No.91 Duan Ying-Ying, Halep was trailing by a set when she produced a stylish comeback which relied on a change of tactic that involved getting closer to the baseline, stronger hitting and better movement. The 3-6 6-1 6-2 victory is now keeping the No.1 ranking in Halep’s hands.
Defending champion and sixth seed Katerina Siniakova struggled with her serve against Chinese wildcard Wang Yafan, recording six double faults and a first serve percentage of 58%, but was in the end able to secure a 7-5 6-3 win in one hour and 33 minutes.
World No.61 Kristyna Pliskova became the second Czech to make the quarterfinal with a 6-4 7-6(3) victory over Romania’s Ana Bogdan in the day’s final match on Centre Court.
All this and Maria Sharapova‘s practice was captured by the lens of our photographer Jimmie48.
Quarterfinals are now set in Shenzhen and all four encounters will be played tomorrow: Irina-Camelia Begu [4] vs. Timea Babos [8], Maria Sharapova vs. Zarina Diyas, Simona Halep [1] vs. Aryna Sabalenka, Katerina Siniakova [6] vs. Krystina Pliskova.
MORE PHOTOS FROM THE 2018 SHENZHEN OPEN:
- Tuesday: Sharapova makes quarterfinals, Ostapenko upset
- Monday: Halep, Sharapova impress in first round
- Sunday: Players’ party, Sharapova’s practice, Halep’s doubles, and more
