Adelaide PHOTOS: Kerber retires injured, quarterfinal field completes

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After Simona Halep and Ashleigh Barty won their second-round matches on Tuesday, six players joined them in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at the Adelaide International and our Jimmie48 was right there to deliver the latest photo coverage from the Premier-level tournament in Australia.

Donna Vekic defeated good friend Maria Sakkari 2-6 7-5 6-1 to advance to the final eight. Before the match, the world No.23 Sakkari gave us an insight into the WTA friendship:

We have been having dinners since we came to Australia every day together, the three of us, me, Donna and Ajla (Tomljanovic), with our teams. But it’s just another match, we both wanna win, we’re going to do our job on court and then after that we’re still best friends.

The 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber trailed Dayana Yastremska 6-3 2-0 when she had to retire from the second-round match because of a lower back injury.

American Danielle Collins upset seventh-seeded compatriot Sofia Kenin 6-3 6-1, winning nine of the last ten games from 3-3 in the first set. Kenin was victorious in doubles, though, as she and Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeated Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara in two tight sets in the quarterfinals.

Sixth seed Aryna Sabalenka, whose father Sergey unexpectedly passed away last November at the young age of 43, beat qualifier Bernarda Pera 7-6(4) 6-2. The Belarusian left her grieving family to go to Australia, even though she didn’t feel like playing matches, but thinking about her father gave her the necessary inner strength:

I’m just trying to fight because my dad wanted me to be No.1. I’m doing it for him so that’s what is helping me to be strong right now.

Marketa Vondrousova, seeded eighth, needed just 51 minutes to move past qualifier Arina Rodionova 6-0 6-0.

Fourth seed Belinda Bencic saved a set point in the first set before defeating Julia Goerges in two tiebreaks, 7-6(6) 7-6(4) to complete the quarterfinal field at the Adelaide International on Wednesday.

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