David Goffin qualified for the quarter-finals of the Sydney ATP 250 tennis tournament, a hard-court event with a prize of $ 521,000. On Wednesday, in Australia, the Liege, 45th in the world and seeded N.8, defeated the American Denis Kudla (ATP 109) in the second round, a ‘lucky loser’ in qualifying (6-2; 6-3).
Monday, Goffin, had ended a streak of seven consecutive defeats by dismissing the Argentinian Facundo Bagnis (ATP 76).
In the quarter-finals, David Goffin will challenge either Briton Andy Murray (ATP 135) or Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili (ATP 23), 23rd in the world and seeded No.2.
Elise Mertens, however, did not qualify for the quarter-finals of the Sydney WTA 500 tennis tournament on Wednesday. Mertens, the 20th player in the world, was beaten by the Russian Daria Kasatkina, 26th in the WTA, in the second round.
The Belgian lost in two sets (3-6; 4-6) after an hour and 12 minutes of play.
Mertens had only beaten Kasatkina once in their first five encounters.
For a place in the semi-finals, Kasatkina will play either against the Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova (WTA 40), or against the Spanish Garbine Muguruza, world third and seeded N.2 in Sydney.
The Sydney tournament is the last stage of the preparation before the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam lifting which begins on January 17th.
