Kenin, Collins advance to San Diego semis as Garcia falls

Former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and fellow American Danielle Collins advanced to the semifinals of the WTA San Diego Open with straight-set triumphs on Thursday.

Kenin, who captured her first Grand Slam title in 2020 at Melbourne, dispatched 27th-ranked Anastasia Potapova 6-2, 6-3.

Potapova made 15 double faults and landed only 46.4 per cent of her first serves to fall in 78 minutes.

Collins, who lost to top-ranked Ash Barty in the 2022 Australian Open final, eliminated France's 10th-ranked Caroline Garcia 6-2, 6-3, in only 67 minutes.

World number 93 Kenin reached her first WTA semifinal since Hobart in January, booking a Friday meeting against the winner of a later match between Greek third seed Maria Sakkari and American Emma Navarro.

Kenin has not played in a WTA final since reaching the 2020 French Open championship match, which she lost to Poland's Iga Swiatek.

Collins, ranked 43rd, will face a later quarterfinal winner, either Czech fourth seed Barbora Krejcikova or Brazilian seventh seed Beatriz Haddad Maia.