ATP Washington Open: Victoria Azarenka to face Aryna Sabalenka in quarterfinals

Washington: Two-time Australian Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka will meet in the WTA and ATP Washington Open quarter-finals after Azarenka foiled an upset bid Thursday by China’s Wang Yafan.

A day after her 35th birthday, Azarenka ousted 73rd-ranked Wang Yafan 6-1, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 after two hours and 46 minutes to advance at the US Open hardcourt tuneup. Top seed Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 Australian Open winner, and her sixth-seeded Belarus compatriot are the only two seeds in the last eight ahead of Friday’s showdown.

“The most important thing right now is playing an opponent like Aryna and seeing where my game is at and what I can do,” Azarenka said. “My focus is more internal this week for the purposes of preparing for the US Open.”

World number three Sabalenka owns a 4-1 edge in her WTA career rivalry with 20th-ranked Azarenka after taking their most recent matchup in January in a Brisbane semi-final.

On the men’s side, top seed Andrey Rublev reached the quarter-finals by defeating French 16th seed Arthur Rinderknech 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

Rublev and Rinderknech held serve into a first-set tie-breaker, where the Russian took three of the last four points, including his 14th ace, and took the first set after 49 minutes when the Frenchman netted a forehand. In the second set, Rinderknech swatted a backhand long to surrender a break in the ninth game and Rublev finished off the match after 88 minutes with his 19th ace.

Rublev will next face US fifth seed and hometown hero Frances Tiafoe, who outlasted American Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-3. US second seed Ben Shelton edged countryman Brandon Nakashima 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) to reach a Friday quarter-final against Canadian wildcard Denis Shapovalov, who ousted Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-2. Agencies

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