Western and Southern Open 2018: Juan Martin Del Potro, Simona Halep Advance
The top seeds were on the schedule in the Western and Southern Open on Thursday with spots in the quarterfinals on the line.
The tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of the final events before the U.S. Open, giving the best men and women in the sport a chance to show what they can do on hard courts. Unfortunately, heavy rain led to some early postponements for many of the big names, leading to a busy Friday schedule.
Here is a look at the latest results from Day 6 of the American tournament.
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Women's Draw
Results
No. 1 Simona Halep def. Ajla Tomljanovic: 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 (Round of 32)
Amanda Anisimova def. Petra Martic: 6-4, 6-3 (Round of 32)
No. 8 Petra Kvitova def. Kristina Mladenovic: 6-4, 6-2
No. 13 Madison Keys def. No. 4 Angelique Kerber: 2-6, 7-6, 6-4
Lesia Tsurenko def. Ekaterina Makarova: 7-6, 6-2
Aryna Sabalenka def. No. 6 Caroline Garcia: 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
No. 15 Elise Mertens def. No. 3 Sloane Stephens: 7-6, 6-2
Postponed
No. 1 Simona Halep vs. Ashleigh Barty
Anett Kontaveit vs. Kiki Bertens
No. 5 Elina Svitolina vs. Amanda Anisimova (3-6, 4-1)
Men's Draw
Results
No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro def. Hyeon Chung: 6-2, 6-3 (Round of 32)
No. 13 Pablo Carreno Busta def. Robin Haase: 6-4, 6-2
Milos Raonic vs. Denis Shapovalov: 7-6, 6-4
Postponed
Stan Wawrinka vs. Marton Fucsovics (2-1)
No. 10 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov (2-6, 6-3, 2-1)
Karen Khachanov vs. No. 7 Marin Cilic (6-7, 6-3, 1-1)
No. 2 Roger Federer vs. Leonardo Mayer
No. 6 Kevin Anderson vs. No. 11 David Goffin
No. 15 Nick Kyrgios vs. No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro
Full results available at the event's official site.
Notable Matches
Madison Keys Comes Back Against Angelique Kerber
It looked like Angelique Kerber was going to cruise into the next round after an easy 6-2 win in the first set. She even went up a break in the second set over Madison Keys.
However, the American was able to fight her way back with some excellent serving to win the second set and stay alive:
Once the momentum shifted, Kerber wasn't able to get it back as Keys closed out the three-set victory.
"I think that today specifically I was just really good at staying focused on a couple of things and not letting my mind wander or get ahead of myself or anything like that," Keys said after the match, per Stephanie Livaudais of WTATennis.com.
In addition to winning the mental battle, she was impressive physically with nine aces to just one double fault.
If she can keep up this type of efficiency with her serve, Keys could be a serious contender in this event.
Elise Mertens Shocks Sloane Stephens
Although the home fans were likely happy to watch Keys earn a come-from-behind win, the highest-seeded American wasn't as fortunate Thursday.
Sloane Stephens was eliminated in the round of 16 by Elise Mertens in straight sets.
Mertens survived a dramatic first set, winning the tiebreak 10-8. She had complete confidence from there, dominating the No. 3 seed with a 6-2 second-set victory.
Stephens really struggled with her second serve during the match, winning just 47 percent of those points while totaling two double faults. Mertens took advantage to break Stephens' serve five times, a key factor in completing the upset.
She appeared extremely relaxed on her way to the winning point:
Stephens had been impressive in North America recently, including her win at last year's U.S. Open and the finals appearance in Montreal last week. However, the latest loss is a disappointing one as she tries to defend her Grand Slam title.
Mertens will now face No. 8 seed Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals.
Friday Schedule
Center
No. 1 Simona Halep vs. Ashleigh Barty
No. 10 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov (2-6, 6-3, 2-1)
No. 2 Roger Federer vs. Leonardo Mayer
Milos Raonic vs. No. 10 Novak Djokovic/No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov
Madison Keys vs. Aryna Sabalenka
Stan Wawrinka/Marton Fucsovics vs. Roger Federer/Leonardo Mayer
Grandstand
No. 15 Nick Kyrgios vs. No. 4 Juan Martin del Potro
Stan Wawrinka vs. Marton Fucsovics (2-1)
Petra Kvitova vs. Elise Mertens
Elina Svitolina/Amanda Anisimova vs. Anett Kontaveit/Kiki Bertens
Kevin Anderson/David Goffin vs. Nick Kyrgios/Juan Martin del Potro
Stadium 3
No. 6 Kevin Anderson vs. No. 11 David Goffin
Karen Khachanov vs. No. 7 Marin Cilic (6-7, 6-3, 1-1)
Pablo Carreno Busta vs. Karen Khachanov/Marin Cilic
Simona Halep/Ashleigh Barty vs. Lesia Tsurenko
Court 10
No. 5 Elina Svitolina vs. Amanda Anisimova (3-6, 4-1)
Anett Kontaveit vs. Kiki Bertens
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