Stakusic surprises No. 1 Ostapenko, reaches Guadalajara quarterfinals

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Teenager Marina Stakusic blew four match points to record the biggest win of her career, beating top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open.

The 19-year-old Canadian trailed 4-0 in the third set but converted four match points when she was 5-3 down.

“I’m happy I made it. It was a rollercoaster ride. I had the chance to finish it in the second half, but I couldn’t. I’m happy with the win and excited about the quarterfinals,” said Stakusic, who reached the main draw thanks to a wildcard.

Stakusic defeated Olympic semifinalist Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round and then Ostapenko for her first career win over a top 20 player. She lost to Barbora Krejcikova in last year’s Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

The Canadian, ranked 155, is the first wildcard entrant to reach the quarterfinals in Guadalajara. Stakusic will next play fifth-seeded Magdalena Frech, who defeated Ashley Krueger 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the final match of the evening.

Ostapenko, who is ranked 12th and won Roland Garros in 2017, made 17 double faults in the match.

Earlier, fourth-seeded Caroline Garcia had defeated Ena Shibajara 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) to also reach the quarterfinals, where she will face Marie Bouzkova, who defeated qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini 6-2, 6-1 in the day’s first match.

The 30-year-old Garcia is playing her first quarter-final since reaching the semi-finals in Rouen last April.

“We played with very different styles. She is a player who does not suit me. I have to play solid and I will see what I can do differently to beat her,” said Garcia, who is 0-4 against Bouzkova.

The tournament will be played on hard courts at the Complejo Panamericano de Tenis in Guadalajara.