Number 2 seed Garbine Muguruza overcame Tereza Martincova 6-4 4-6 6-3 after 2 hours and 45 minutes to reach her seventh quarter final of the season at the VTB Kremlin Open in Moscow.
Muguruza won five consecutive games from 1-4 down to claim the opening set 6-4. The Spaniard saved three break points to lead 5-2 as she was serving at 4-2 40-0. Muguruza went up a set and a break to take a 6-4 3-2 lead. Martincova won three games to take a 5-3 lead with two breaks in the sixth and eighth games. Muguruza pulled the break back for the second time for 4-5. Martincova converted his fourth break point in the 10th game to close out the second set 6-4.
After a trade of breaks at the start of the third set, Muguruza dropped just two points in her three service games to close out the third set 6-3.
“I feel happy. It’s my first victory in Russia and I am very excited. It was a very difficult match, and I am happy to get it. I think I served well in the third set and I kept attacking and doing my game. I got the break and I managed to hold it until the end”, said Muguruza.
Muguruza will face either Anett Konatveit or Andrea Petkovic.
Aryna Sabalenka, who was forced to miss the BPN Paribas Open in Indian Wells, overcame Alja Tomljanovic 7-6 (7-2) 4-6 6-1 to secure her spot in the quarter finals. Sabalenka is making her first appearance in the Kremlin Cup main draw after losing in the first qualifying round in 2016 at the age of 18.
Sabalenka converted five of her eleven break points. The Belarusian player went up a break in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead, but Tomljanovic broke straight back in the ninth game. Sabalenka won five of the first six points to claim the tie-break 7-2.
Tomljanovic went down 0-2 in the second set, but she bounced back by winning three consecutive games to take a 3-2 lead. Returners won just two points in the next five service games. Tomljanovic held serve to 30 to draw level to 2-2 before breaking serve in the 10th game to close out the second set 6-4.
Tomljanovic saved a break point in the first game before holding serve at deuce. Sabalenka won six consecutive games with three breaks to claim the third set 6-1.
Sabalenka has improved her lead in her five head-to-head matches against Tomljanovic to 4-1. Last January Sabalenka beat Tomljanovic 7-5 6-4 in Abu Dhabi last January.
