Sofia Kenin, Leylah Fernandez among five unseeded players in Guadalajara title hunt

Will an unseeded player walk away with the trophy in Guadalajara? It’s a strong possibility at the WTA 1000 event, with five advancing to the quarterfinals and one guaranteed to play for the title in the top half of the draw.

That result was assured when Martina Trevisan rallied Wednesday night to oust No. 1 seed Ons Jabeur, 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-3, after three hours and two minutes.

The Tunisian had the match on her racquet when she served at 5-4 in the second set, but couldn’t cross the finish line after beginning with a 30-0 lead. Jabeur later had a chance to reach 4-4 in the third set after getting back on serve, but wasted a 40-15 lead—and Trevisan dug in to claim the final pair of tense games.

Trevisan, a former world No. 18, is seeking her first final appearance since winning her maiden WTA title at Rabat in May 2022. The 29-year-old will take on 111th-ranked Caroline Dolehide for a place in the semifinals.

After coming through a pair of tight three-setters, Dolehide rolled over eighth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova, 6-1, 6-2. The American held in every service game, while converting four of nine break points in the 61-minute victory. Dolehide’s run thus far will see the 25-year-old achieve a new career-high ranking, improving upon her previous best of No. 99.

In the second quarter of the draw, Leylah Fernandez and Sofia Kenin emerged for a showdown with both competitors winning all three of their respective matches in straight sets.

In the third round, Fernandez dismissed Emma Navarro, 6-2, 6-3. The Canadian had lost to the former NCAA champion in Cincinnati qualifying last month after winning an earlier season encounter at Indian Wells.

Kenin, who edged Navarro in last week’s San Diego semifinals to contest her first tour-level final in nearly three years, maintained her hot form by toppling sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko, 6-4, 7-5. Kenin saved four of the five break points she faced for a seventh win in nine days. The 24-year-old beat Fernandez in their lone previous meeting at the 2020 US Open.

In the bottom half of the draw, three established players and the current world No. 180 are left standing. Third seed Caroline Garcia and No. 10 seed Victoria Azarenka will duel in Thursday’s final eight.

Garcia halted Hailey Baptiste, 7-5, 6-4, to get through to her first 1000-level quarterfinal of the year. The reigning WTA Finals champion, who began this tournament at just No. 26 in the race to Cancun, saved two match points in her opening round against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

A semifinalist here a year ago, Azarenka dispatched No. 7 seed Veronika Kudermetova, 6-2, 6-1 as she aims to lift her first 1000 crown since the 2020 New York-edition of the Western & Southern Open. That tournament was the last time the former world No. 1 and Garcia faced off, and marked Azarenka’s first win in four encounters with the Frenchwoman.

Second seed Maria Sakkari, who is defending runner-up points, marched into the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Camila Giorgi. The Greek capitalized on six of her eight break point chances in the 68-minute victory. Awaiting Sakkari is the breakout performer of the event, Emiliana Arango. The 22-year-old Colombian backed up wins over Anastasia Potapova and Sloane Stephens by denying Taylor Townsend a three-set comeback, 7-5, 1-6, 6-4.

Arango, coming off a second-round loss in US Open qualifying, is making her debut on the WTA 1000 stage. Prior to this week, Arango last posted consecutive tour-level wins at 2018 Bogota.