Hailey Baptiste saved a match point to edge past Karolina Pliskova 7-6 (7-5) 5-7 7-6 (7-4) for the second time this summer to reach the Round of 16 at the Guadalajara Open.
Baptiste had already beaten Pliskova in Washington last August.
Pliskova was just two points away from winning the first set. Baptiste got back on serve to draw level to 5-5 after two double faults from Pliskova. Baptiste completed the come-back to clinch the tie-break 7-5.
Pliskova came back from 3-5 down in the second set after Baptiste was not able to serve out the match at 5-3. The Czech player reeled off four games to win the second set 7-5. Baptiste made three double faults in the last game of the second set.
Pliskova earned a match point at 5-3 with a forehand winner in the third set, but Baptiste forced an error from Pliskova with a deep groundstroke. Baptiste broke serve in that game en route to the tie-break.
Pliskova came back from 0-3 to draw level to 3-3 in the tie-break. Baptiste hit a backhand winner to take a 5-3.
Baptiste converted a second match point at 6-4 after a long backhand from Pliskova to reach the Round of 16 at a WTA 1000 tournament for the first time in her career.
Victoria Azarenka, who reached the semifinal in Guadalajara last year, cruised past 19-year-old Robin Montgomery 6-1 6-1 in just 69 minutes.
Azarenka never dropped her serve and won 19 of her 20 first serve points.
Montgomery held her first three break points, but Azarenka saved them before closing out the match. Azarenka set up a second round match against Dayana Yastremska. Both players have drawn 1-1 in their two head-to matches. Yastremska won her first match against Azarenka 7-5 7-5 in Toronto 2019. Azarenka beat Yastremska 6-4 6-0 in their second match in Washington in 2022.
