IT was the future of the WTA Tour on show in the third round of the Abu Dhabi 500 tournament, with 26-year-old Elina Svitolina being the “veteran” of the quarter finals competitors. The Ukrainian was one of only two players – Maria Sakkari was the other – aged 25 years and older, with the other six victors being 24-years-old or younger, including Ukrainian 18-year-old Marta Kostyuk.

In the tightest round by far in the tournament, three players won in three sets, while an additional three matches were only separated by a break in each of the two sets. Svitolina had an epic fight on her hands against Ekaterina Alexandrova, doing it easy in the first set, before engaging in two tiebreakers, losing the second set tiebreaker 7-5, before bouncing back to win 10-8 in the deciding set tiebreaker.

Svitolina was dominant off her first serve, winning 71.6 per cent of her points, and breaking seven times to five against the Russian, though Alexandrova was more clinical in recovering off her second serve. The Ukrainian had to do it the hard way though, saving two match points in order to book herself a place in the final eight in Abu Dhabi.

“I think [from] both sides, she was striking the ball really well,” Svitolina said post-match. “Even on the move, from almost every part of the court. So it was really tricky for me to come back from being 3-5 down. I was just trying to be focused on every point and not let this match take away the good tennis that I played in the first set.”

“I’m just enjoying myself playing in these conditions, and hopefully I can go even further this week.”

The second seed now takes on Russian Veronika Kudermetova who toppled fellow unseeded Spaniard, Paula Badosa. Kudermetova won 6-4 4-6 6-1 to move through to the quarter finals and be the sole Russian remaining in the draw. She was the only winner of four Russians on court in the Round of 16, with Alexandrova, and unseeded talents, Daria Kasatkina and Anastasia Gasanova both knocked out. Kasatkina went down to sixth seed Kazakh Elena Rybakina in straight sets, while Gasanova – after shocking third seed Karolina Pliskova in the Round of 32 – lost to rising Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo, 7-5 6-3.

Rybakina sets her sights on Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster quarter final, with both power players able to turn up the intensity. Sabalenka powered past Tunisian Ons Jabeur to rack up her 13th consecutive win, defeating the 15th seed 6-2 6-4 to set up a huge quarter finals clash with the Kazakh. The winner of that game will take on either top seed Sofia Kenin or Sakkari in an all-seeded top half of the draw.

Kenin had to fight from a set down to put away 13th seed Yulia Putintseva 3-6 7-6 6-4, while Sakkari took out fifth seed Garbine Muguruza 7-5 6-4, ending a chance at an Australian Open final repeat between Kenin and Muguruza. In the final match of the third round, Ukrainian teenager Kostyuk smashed Slovenian Tamara Zidansek 6-1 6-1 to race into a quarter final and take on Sorribes Tormo, for the chance to potentially play compatriot Svitolina in the semi-finals.

Sabalenka and Rybakina are first up on Centre Court tomorrow, followed by Kenin and Sakkari. Then Kostyuk and Sorribes Tormo do battle, followed by Kudermetova and Svitolina in the final match of the day.

ABU DHABI ROUND OF 16 RESULTS:

[1] Sofia Kenin (USA) defeated [13] Yulia Putintseva (KAZ) 3-6 7-6 6-4
[2] Elina Svitolina (UKR) defeated [17] Ekaterina Alexandrova (RUS) 6-2 6-7 7-6
[4] Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) defeated [15] Ons Jabeur (TUN) 6-2 6-4
[9] Maria Sakkari (GRE) defeated [5] Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 7-5 6-4
[6] Elena Rybakina (KAZ) defeated Daria Kasatkina (RUS) 6-3 6-4
Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) defeated Paula Badosa (ESP) 6-4 4-6 6-1
Sara Sorribes Tormo (ESP) defeated Anastasia Gasanova (RUS) 7-5 6-3
Marta Kostyuk (UKR) defeated Tamara Zidansek (SLO) 6-1 6-1

Picture credit: WTA/Jimmie48