Washington: World number two Simona Halep battled through extreme heat to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA Citi Open while Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard was ousted on Thursday by Germany’s Andrea Petkovic.
French Open runner-up Halep, the top-seeded woman on the Washington hardcourts, rallied past Colombia’s Mariana Duque-Marino 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 in withering heat she measured at 47 Celsius on the court.
“It was really hot out there,” Halep said. “I was a little bit dead on the court. It was the same thing for her so I said I have to keep fighting even if I’m struggling.”
World number 102 Petkovic, a former top-10 player and French Open semi-finalist on the comeback trail, ousted 73rd-ranked Bouchard 6-2, 4-6, 6-0.
“I feel like a lot of pieces are falling into place for me this year,” Petkovic said. “I feel like I can do more damage this year. I feel like I have the best tennis inside me and I’m taking steps to bring it out.”
Petkovic compared adding an agent, mental coach and physiotherapist to her entourage with musicians making an unusual album.
“You know those bands that have an album and you don’t understand what it was but you have to go through it to get to the next one, that’s what this year feels like for me,” Petkovic said. “This is my transition year, my in-between album that nobody will remember.”
Petkovic advanced to a quarter-final against 17-year-old Canadian Bianca Andreescu, who won her first WTA main draw matches this week, including Thursday’s 6-2, 6-3 triumph over French second seed Kristina Mladenovic.
It was the first time in WTA history that a player born in the 21st century had beaten a top-20 player.
“My dream is to create history, which I did today,” Andreescu said. “This is the beginning.”
Halep dropped the first set in 28 minutes, losing her serve in the second game and never forcing a break point against her South American opponent.
“I was able to keep fighting,” Halep said. “I calmed down a little bit and was able to get my shots in more and I think that was the key to the match, to push back on her.”
The 25-year-old Romanian battled back and booked a last-eight date with Russian seventh seed Ekaterina Makarova. Halep has a 3-1 career head-to-head record against Makarova, losing only in a 2015 Australian Open quarter-final.
“Makarova will be tough because she’s a lefty, but I’ve played her a couple of times. And hopefully it won’t be as hot.”
Meanwhile, world number one Andy Murray and sixth-ranked Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic have withdrawn from next week’s ATP Rogers Cup in Montreal, tournament officials said on Thursday.
A nagging hip injury will keep Murray from the Canadian hardcourt tuneup for the US Open for the second year in a row after 11 previous consecutive appearances by the 30-year-old Scotsman. “I am sad to be missing the tournament in Montreal because I have many great memories from my time in Canada,” Murray said in a statement. “I am doing everything I can to return as quickly as possible.”
Murray, a three-time Canada winner whose most recent title there came in 2015, has not played competitively since a five-set loss to American Sam Querrey in a Wimbledon quarter-final last month.
His absence leaves reigning French Open champion Rafael Nadal, a 15-time Grand Slam winner, and 2017 Australian Open and Wimbledon winner Roger Federer, the holder of a record 19 Grand Slam titles, as the top seeds in Montreal.
Cilic, whose best Canada showing was a 2008 quarter-final run, has a nagging adductor injury and joined Murray and fourth-ranked Stan Wawrinka on the sidelines. Wawrinka pulled out on Wednesday with a knee injury.
Results from the Washington Open Men’s Singles Round 3 matches on Thursday 3-Milos Raonic (Canada) beat Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus) 7-6(7) 6-3 8-Jack Sock (US) beat Jared Donaldson (US) 7-6(6) 6-2 Daniil Medvedev (Russia) beat 4-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) 6-4 6-2
Results from the Washington Open Women’s Singles Round 2 matches on Thursday Bianca Andreescu (Canada) beat 2-Kristina Mladenovic (France) 6-2 6-3 6-Monica Niculescu (Romania) beat Patricia Tig (Romania) 6-4 7-6(2) Andrea Petkovic (Germany) beat Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) 6-2 4-6 6-0 1-Simona Halep (Romania) beat Mariana Duque (Colombia) 3-6 6-4 6-2 Sabine Lisicki (Germany) beat Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) 4-6 6-3 6-3
Results from the Stanford Classic Women’s Singles Round 2 matches on Thursday 2-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukraine) 6-2 6-2 8-Catherine Bellis (US) beat Veronica Cepede Royg (Paraguay) 7-6(3) 6-2
