Semeņistaja advances to final round of US Open qualifying

Latvian tennis player Daniela Semeņistaja won her second-round US Open qualifying match in New York, defeating 20-year-old Georgian player Sofia Shubladze in two sets.

The first set was closely contested, with the score reaching 4:4 before heading to a tiebreak. Semeņistaja recovered from a 1:3 deficit to lead 5:3, but Shubladze equalized at 5:5. In the closing points, a visibly tired Shubladze made a double fault and hit a shot out, allowing the Latvian to take the set 7:6.

In the second set, Semeņistaja capitalized on her opponent's imprecise shots early on to gain a break advantage, extending it to 2:0. Although she failed to convert three match points in the ninth game, she eventually closed out the set 6:4.

Match statistics showed a close overall points count, 89 to 86 in Semeņistaja's favor, while Shubladze recorded more unforced errors (51 to 28) and double faults (7 to 2).

Next opponent and prize money

In the final qualifying round, Semeņistaja will face 32-year-old Australian Storm Hunter, currently ranked 169th in the world after having reached a career-high of 114th.

Players receive 32,000 US dollars for reaching the first qualifying round, 48,000 dollars for the second round, and 66,000 dollars for the final round. This year's US Open has the largest total prize fund in Grand Slam history.

Semeņistaja had recently gone through a difficult stretch, retiring from the longest match of her career on August 12 amid her seventh consecutive loss on the world tour.