MATCH POINTS

Ashleigh Barty’s last meeting with Maria Sakkari was at the 2019 Australian Open. She ran out a 7-5, 6-1 victor in the pair’s third career meeting, giving her a 2-1 edge overall. Sakkari’s victory came in the pair’s only previous meeting on US soil, in Indian Wells 2018.

Barty is into the last eight at Cincinnati for the first time. She had previously fallen in the third round on two occasions.

Sakkari’s three-set wins over Karolina Pliskova and Ayrna Sabalenka on successive days have seen her spent four hours and 52 minutes on court.

Sofia Kenin is the only player who entered in the first round who has yet to drop a set this week. She has beaten Jessica Pegula, Zarina Diyas and Elina Svitolina. 

She has a 1-1 career head-to-head record against WTA World No.1 Naomi Osaka. The Japanese won their last meeting, which was at Roland Garros 2018, while Kenin’s win came back in 2014 in a Vero Beach qualifier.

The USA has three players – Kenin, Venus Williams and Madison Keys – in the quarterfinals of this event for the first time since it became a Premier 5 tournament.

Previously, it had occured on one occasion, with Lindsay Davenport, Amy Frazier and Laura Granville doing so in 2004, when the draw was only 30-strong. That is also the only previous occasion that two Americans reached the semifinals, with Davenport going on to win.

Venus Williams last run to this point in Cincinnati came back in 2012. Keys, meanwhile, was a member of the last eight 12 months ago.

It has been two years since Venus faced Keys, with their last three matches all going the distance. Keys won that previous meeting in Montreal and has a 2-1 career head-to-head record against the 39-year-old on hard courts, having also won at the 2015 Australian Open. She lost in Zhuhai that same year, though.

Svetlana Kuznetsova’s last run to a quarter final of a Premier event was in Cincinnati 2017. This is the third time she has reached the last eight in Ohio. 

Karolina Pliskova has spent only two hours and 57 minutes on court – none of the quarterfinalists have managed less.