Pera eliminates Kenin, advances to semifinals in Cleveland

CLEVELAND (AP) — Bernarda Pera won her 13th consecutive WTA Tour match, beat former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 on Thursday night in the Tennis in The Land quarterfinals.

Pera, ranked 51st, has not lost in a main draw since Wimbledon two months ago. She will face Liudmila Samsonova of Russia in a battle of unseeded semifinalists at the U.S. Open tune-up event.

Fellow American Kenin, who has been plagued by injuries since winning the 2020 title in Melbourne, ended Pera’s 25-set winning streak before dropping the 2-hour, 2-minute match on the stadium court at Jacobs Pavilion.

No. 45 Samsonova beat Magda Linette of Poland 6-4, 6-3.

Eighth-seeded Alizé Cornet of France eliminated Shuai Zhang of China 6-4, 6-2 for her third straight-set victory in three matches in Cleveland, where she has become a fan favorite.

No. 37 Cornet seized momentum late in the first by fighting off five break points in winning a 26-point, 17-minute game, extending her lead to 5-3.

Seventh-seeded Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus edged Madison Brengle 6-4, 6-1 in the lone morning quarterfinal. No. 36 Sasnovich is seeking her first WTA championship.

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