Djokovic beaten, Sabalenka advances at Brisbane International
The result leaves the 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic with 99 career singles titles heading into the Australian Open, which he has won a record 10 times
Madison Keys of the United States upset the top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals of the German Open on Wednesday.
Keys, who is ranked 28th, hit eight aces and outlasted the world No. 4 to win in just under two hours. It’s her eighth career win over a Top 5 opponent and the first time she has reached the quarterfinals of a WTA event since January 2020, when she finished runner-up in Brisbane.
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The 26-year-old Keys is going for her third singles title on grass after wins in Eastbourne in 2014 and Birmingham two years later.
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Keys next faces Veronika Kudermetova or qualifier Ludmilla Samsonova, who meet in an all-Russian clash on Thursday.
Belinda Bencic of Switzerland was the only seeded player to win at the Wimbledon warm-up on Wednesday. The Swiss player defeated Petra Martic 6-3, 6-4.
Bencic arguably provided the shot of the tournament when she fell, returned a volley while still on the ground and then got up to put away a backhand winner
Bencic next plays Ekaterina Alexandrova, who upset the second-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine 6-4, 7-5. The Russian player saved seven set points in the second set.
Alizé Cornet provided another upset when she defeated the third-seeded Bianca Andreescu 7-6 (2), 7-5 in a little over two hours.
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