Muguruza battles past Alexandrova to reach Sydney quarterfinals

Garbine Muguruza secured her place in the quarterfinals of the Sydney Tennis Classic on Wednesday, fighting past Ekaterina Alexandrova to halt a second set comeback.

The second seed recorded a 6-1 7-6(4) victory over her Russian opponent, converting on all three of her break point opportunities. After a dominant start to the match that saw Muguruza race to a 4-0 lead, Alexandrova was finally able to win a game before her Spanish opponent closed out the first set.

Although Muguruza was hoping for a repeat performance in the second, Alexandrova proved to be more difficult. The World No.40 exchanged breaks with the two-time Grand Slam champion, pushing her to her limits to force a tiebreak. Nonetheless, it was Muguruza's grit and experience that prevailed, allowing the World No.3 to secure victory after an hour and 26 minutes.

After improving to 2-1 in career meetings versus Alexandrova, Muguruza will face another Russian, as Daria Kasatkina took out Elise Mertens in straight sets in their round of 16 encounter.