Unseeded Players Ruling ITF’s Henderson Tennis Open

Unseeded players have been providing daily upsets in the ITF’s Henderson Tennis Open, and Friday’s quarterfinals matches continued the trend. There were three seeded players to begin the round, but only one reached the semifinals.

No. 3 Katarina Zavatska from the Ukraine will face Japan’s Mayo Hibi in one semifinal match. Zavatska is a -167 favorite at Unibet.com to defeat Hibi, who is getting odds of +120.

The other semifinal match will pit Anhelina Kalinina of the Ukraine against Katherine Sebov of Canada. Kalinina is a -154 favorite, while Sebov is at +125.

ITF’s Henderson Tennis Open Upsets Continue

The biggest surprise of Friday’s quarterfinals was Kalinina upsetting No. 5-seeded Varvara Lepchenko of Allentown, Pa., 6-3, 6-3. Zavatska took care of a fellow seeded player, No. 8-seeded Caroline Dolehide, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Sebov is the only one of the four who didn’t have to defeat a seeded player to reach the semifinals. The No. 1 seed, Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, was upset by American, Alycia Parks, in Sebov’s bracket. Sebov then defeated Parks in the second round. Sebov hasn’t needed more than two sets to beat her three opponents, including Friday’s match with Olga Govortsova of Belarus, 6-3, 6-2. Sebov told reporters that she’s improved in each round of the tournament.

“I thought I played very well, and my play has gotten better and better every match,” Sebov said. “Olga tried to give me some trouble in running me around, but I think I’m playing the best I’ve ever played.”

Friends Meet in Quarterfinals

Hibi faced fellow Irvine, CA resident, Alexa Glatch, in the quarterfinals. The two are frequent practice partners, and on Friday, Hibi downed Glatch, 7-5, 6-1.

Hibi, who is 23-years-old and ranked No. 214 in the WTA World Tour rankings, said playing Glatch was a challenge.

“I was playing a tough opponent today who hits a pretty heavy ball, and a good slice backhand,” Hibi said. “So I knew I had to construct the points and play it smart. Alexa and I have been practicing together the past several weeks. It’s really nice to have someone at this level who I can practice with on a daily basis.”