The semi-finals of the WTA 1000 Cymbiotika Guadalajara Open AKRON get underway today, September 22. Here is our preview of the showdowns between Caroline Garcia and Maria Sakkari, as well as Caroline Dolehide and Sofia Kenin.

Second seed Sakkari and third seed Garcia will face off against each other in their semi-final after 18:00 local time at the Estadio Akron de Tenis. Both players will be trying to carry on the momentum achieved by having a deep run here following a difficult few months on the WTA Tour.

They both crashed out of the US Open in the first round earlier this month. The Greek player lost to Rebeka Masarova in straight sets while the Frenchwoman was ousted by Yafan Wang 6-4, 6-1.

After this, they both dropped in the WTA Ranking, with Sakkari going from eighth to ninth while Garcia dropped out of the Top 10 as she fell from seventh to eleventh. They were also both eliminated in their second rounds at the San Diego Open last week.

However, it seems as though they have managed to turn things around this week and will now fight for a place in the final. Garcia currently has a 2-1 lead over Sakkari in their head-to-head, having won their most recent meeting at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open quarterfinals in February of this year.

Sakkari is yet to drop a set at the tournament, while Garcia has only dropped one. The former's powerful groundstrokes and excellent court coverage should help her, although she will be countered by Garcia's aggressive game and precise serving.

American players Kenin and Dolehide will face each other earlier in the day for a spot in the final. World No. 53 Kenin finished as the runner-up at the San Diego Open last week and will be hoping to improve upon that here. So far, she has ousted twelfth seed Anhelina Kalinina, sixth seed Jelena Ostapenko, and 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.

Meanwhile, Dolehide moved past eighth seed Ekaterina Alexandrova and Martina Trevisan who had defeated top seed Ons Jabeur earlier in the tournament. She holds a 2-1 lead in ITF events over Kenin in their head-to-head, but this will be their first meeting on the WTA Tour.