August 02, (THEWILL) – Two-time Australian Open champions, Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka, will face each other in the WTA Washington Open quarter-finals. Azarenka advanced after defeating China’s Wang Yafan 6-1 6-7 (5/7) 6-3, in a gruelling match lasting nearly three hours.
Sabalenka, the top seed and world number three, holds a 4-1 advantage in their head-to-head matches. Their most recent encounter was in the Brisbane semi-finals in January 2024, which Sabalenka won. Both players are returning from shoulder injuries that caused them to withdraw from Wimbledon.
In the men’s draw, top seed Andrey Rublev progressed to the quarter-finals by beating French 16th seed Arthur Rinderknech 7-6 (7/4) 6-4. Rublev will next play US fifth seed Frances Tiafoe, who defeated fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic 7-6 (7/3) 4-6 6-3.
The Washington Open serves as a warm-up tournament for the upcoming US Open. Both Sabalenka and Azarenka, are using this event to gauge their form and fitness ahead of the Grand Slam event in New York.
Sabalenka and Azarenka, are the only seeded players remaining in the women’s draw. Their quarter-final match is scheduled for Friday, with both players looking to fine-tune their game in preparation for the US Open.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
