Kostyuk’s first match of the week was also her last
Marta Kostyuk reached the Guadalajara quarter-finals without playing a point. A first-round bye, then a walkover when Taylor Townsend pulled out of their second-round meeting for a medical situation that required emergency surgery. The top seed finally stepped on court on Thursday and lost.
Liudmila Samsonova beat her 4-6, 6-2, 7-5. The eighth seed dropped the opening set, took control of the second, then held her nerve through a decider that stayed on serve until the closing games.
The result sends Samsonova into her first semi-final of 2026. She had reached the quarter-finals at three other events this year and gone no further. Her last semi-final came in Berlin in June 2025.
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An American waits in the last four
Samsonova will face either Peyton Stearns or Sloane Stephens, who met in the evening quarter-final. Stephens had already knocked out fifth seed Janice Tjen earlier in the week.
The other half of the draw resolved quickly. Iva Jovic, seeded second and defending the title, dismissed seventh seed Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-1. Cristina Bucsa was even more abrupt against third seed Sara Bejlek, taking the first set 6-0 before closing it out 6-4.
The top seed and the third seed both went out on the same afternoon. Jovic is the highest seed still standing.
Stoiana breaks through in Sao Paulo
Mary Stoiana reached her first WTA Tour quarter-final by beating Dominika Salkova 7-6 (5), 6-1 at the SP Open. The 23-year-old is ranked 116th in the world and won an NCAA team championship with Texas A&M in 2024.
Paula Badosa is next. The second seed needed three sets to get past Jazmin Ortenzi 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Seeds fell elsewhere in Brazil too. Suzan Lamens knocked out third seed Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-2 and Nadia Podoroska ended fifth seed Eva Lys 7-5, 6-2. Anna Blinkova, Kaitlin Quevedo and Alina Charaeva all came through in straight sets.
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