The Carlsbad Classic, a 125K series event, is the final WTA tournament of the year. Yanina Wickmayer, Maria Sakkari, Nicole Gibbs, and Jennifer Brady made it to the semifinals today.
Wickmayer of Belgium, a wildcard recipient and the top seed, bested the sixteen year-old American Catherine Bellis in straight sets: 6-4, 6-3. Wickmayer won the Tokyo title in September, her fourth career title and first since 2010. The Belgian is currently ranked 49, but has reached as high as 12 in 2010. Bellis is currently ranked 242. In 2014, Bellis became the youngest woman to win a match at the U.S. Open since Anna Kournikova in 1996, and the youngest American to win a match at the U.S. Open since Mary Joe Fernandez in 1986.
Sakkari from Greece defeated higher-ranked American Samantha Crawford in three sets: 6-1, 6-7, 6-2. The 182nd ranked Sakkari landed 81% of her first service points in the match. The twenty-year–old Crawford, currently ranked 146, was recently awarded a wildcard into the 2016 Australian Open by virtue of winning a lower tier event in Arizona, her first professional singles title.
American Gibbs beat Tatjana Maria of Germany in three sets: 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. Gibbs played as number one in singles and doubles for the Stanford University Women’s team. She is currently ranked 122. The German, ranked 71, reached the third round at Wimbledon and Miami this year.
Another American, Brady, got past Russian Marina Melnikova in straight sets: 6-2, 7-5. The twenty-year-old Brady took advantage of six of seven breakpoint chances while saving three of four breaks she faced.
In the semifinals, Wickmayer will face Sakkari and the Americans will play each other in first time WTA meetings.
