Canada’s Marina Stakusic is having a very nice week at the Guadalajara Open.
After upsetting Anna Karolína Schmiedlova of Slovakia in the first round on Tuesday, the Canadian teen followed it up with the biggest win of her career on Thursday.
Staukusic beat the tournament’s No. 1 seed Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) to advance to the first WTA quarterfinal of her young career.
Stakusic faced a 0-4 deficit in the third and final set before marching back into the match.
The 19-year-old won five of the next six games to even it up before exchanging games to force a tiebreaker, where Stakusic took complete control to win the match
Ostapenko is currently ranked No. 12 in the world and marks Stakusic’s first win against a top-20 opponent.
Stakusic, from Mississauga, Ont., is ranked 155th.
The unheralded Stakusic made headlines late last year when she helped Canada win the Billie Jean King Cup.
It’s been an up-and-down 2024 for Stakusic, with highlights including a first-round win at her hometown National Bank Open and qualifying for her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon.
— With files from the Canadian Press
