AUCKLAND: American Hailey Baptiste edged out Jodie Burrage 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (6) to reach the quarter-finals of the Auckland Open at the ASB Tennis Arena on Thursday.

Top seed Madison Keys of the US beat Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian 6-1, 6-2.

After defeating her British opponent 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (6), Baptiste, ranked No. 92, now faces seventh seed Naomi Osaka of Japan.

The American defeated Slovak wildcard Renata Jamrichova 6-0, 6-2 in the previous round of the Auckland tournament.

In the first round, Burrage, ranked No. 179, won 6-3, 6-3 against New Zealander wildcard Vivian Yang. In other second-round matches, Alycia Parks of the US beat Belgium’s Greet Minnen 7-5, 6-3 while American Robin Montgomery outclassed Nao Hibino of Japan 6-2, 6-2.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2025