Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and fellow American Danielle Collins advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA San Diego Open with straight-set triumphs on Thursday. Kenin, who captured her first Grand Slam title in 2020 at Melbourne, dispatched 27th-ranked Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 6-3. Potapova made 15 double faults and landed only 46.4% of her first serves to fall in 78 minutes.
Collins, who lost to top-ranked Ash Barty in the 2022 Australian Open final, eliminated France’s 10th-ranked Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3, in only 67 minutes.
World number 93 Kenin reached her first WTA semi-final since Hobart in January, booking a Friday meeting against the winner of a later match between Greek third seed Maria Sakkari and American Emma Navarro.
Kenin has not played in a WTA final since reaching the 2020 French Open championship match, which she lost to Poland’s Iga Swiatek.
Collins, ranked 43rd, will face a later quarter-final winner, either Czech fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova or Brazilian seventh seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.
