Sofia Kenin cruised past defending champion Jasmine Paolini 6-4 6-0 to reach her first WTA 1000 quarter final since 2023 at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Kenin improved he head-to-head record against Paolini to 3-0. She claimed her previous wins against her Italian opponent in Rome and Guangzhou in 2019.
Paolini saved two break points in the first game. Kenin rallied from 30-40 down in the fifth game to break serve for 3-2. Paolini held serve at deuce with an ace and a forehand winner before Kenin converted her first set point in the 10thgame.
Paolini had a bad fall, while she was serving at 4-6 0-30 in the first game of the second set and rolled over her right ankle. She tried to play through the injury, but Kenin raced out to a 6-0 win with three breaks of serve.
Kenin beat Donna Vekic in the first round before saving two match points in the second round to beat Marta Kostyuk 5-7 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (7-5). The US player has achieved her first top 5 win on hard court since the 2020 Australian Open where she beat Ashliegh Barty.
