WTA roundup: Elena Rybakina rolls into Tokyo quarters

No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan cruised into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Leylah Fernandez of Canada on Thursday at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

In a clash of last week's WTA Tour champions, Rybakina (Ningbo Open) saved four of five break points and converted three of four break chances against Fernandez (Japan Open). Up next for Rybakina is another Canadian, No. 9 seed Victoria Mboko.

No. 3 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia defeated Romania's Jaqueline Cristian 6-1, 6-2 in 69 minutes, and No. 5 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland ousted France's Varvara Gracheva 6-4, 6-3 in 85 minutes. Sofia Kenin rallied for a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2) win against Japanese hopeful Wakana Sonobe.

Guangzhou Open

Second-seeded Ann Li of the United States converted five of six break points and defeated Colombia's Camilia Osorio 7-5, 6-2 in a second-round match in Guangzhou, China.

Li advanced to face Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto, who outlasted China's Xiyu Wang 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. In other matches involving Chinese players, Shuai Zhang rallied for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia, while Yafan Wang fell 6-3, 6-1 to Australia's Lulu Sun in 60 minutes.

Germany's Ella Seidel ousted No. 6 Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-2. Claire Liu defeated Hungary's Anna Bondar 6-3, 6-4. Fellow Americans Caty McNally defeated Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, and Katie Volynets beat France's Tiantsoa Sarah Rakotomanga Rajaonah 6-3, 6-3.