Stakusic Fights off 4 Match Points to Upset Top-Seeded Ostapenko at the Guadalajara Open 

Marina Stakusic of Canada celebrates her victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during a match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, 12 September 2024. (EPA)
Marina Stakusic of Canada celebrates her victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during a match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, 12 September 2024. (EPA)
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Stakusic Fights off 4 Match Points to Upset Top-Seeded Ostapenko at the Guadalajara Open 

Marina Stakusic of Canada celebrates her victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during a match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, 12 September 2024. (EPA)
Marina Stakusic of Canada celebrates her victory over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during a match at the Guadalajara Open WTA 500 tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, 12 September 2024. (EPA)

Teenager Marina Stakusic fought off four match points to claim the biggest win in her career after defeating top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday to advance to the Guadalajara Open quarterfinals.

The 19-year-old Canadian trailed 4-0 in the third set and fought off the four match points when she was down 5-3.

“I’m happy to pull through, it was a rollercoaster, I got a chance to close it in the second and I didn't, but I’m happy with the win and excited with the quarters,” said Stakusic, who got into the main draw on a wild card.

Stakusic defeated Olympic semifinalist Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round and then Ostapenko for her first-career win over a top-20 player. Last year she lost to Barbora Krejcikova in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

The Canadian, ranked 155th, is the first wild-card entry to reach the quarterfinals in Guadalajara. Stakusic will next play fifth-seeded Magdalena Frech, who beat Ashley Krueger 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the last match of the night.

Ostapenko, who is ranked 12th and won the 2017 French Open, had 17 double faults in the match.

Earlier, fourth-seeded Caroline Garcia held off Ena Shibajara 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) and also progressed to the quarterfinals where she will meet Marie Bouzkova, who in the first match of the day breezed past qualifier Lucrezia Stefanini 6-2, 6-1.

The 30-year-old Garcia will be playing in her first quarterfinal since she advanced to the Rouen semifinals last April.

“We played very different styles, she is a player that does not suit me, I need to play solid, and I will see what I can do differently to beat her,” said Garcia, who is 0-4 against Bouzkova.

The tournament is being played on hard courts at the Complejo Panamericano de Tenis, in Guadalajara.



MotoGP Champion Martin to Remain with Aprilia for 2026 Season

Third-placed Aprilia Racing's Spanish rider Jorge Martin celebrates on the podium at the end of the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, north of Doha on April 13, 2025. (AFP)
Third-placed Aprilia Racing's Spanish rider Jorge Martin celebrates on the podium at the end of the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, north of Doha on April 13, 2025. (AFP)
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MotoGP Champion Martin to Remain with Aprilia for 2026 Season

Third-placed Aprilia Racing's Spanish rider Jorge Martin celebrates on the podium at the end of the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, north of Doha on April 13, 2025. (AFP)
Third-placed Aprilia Racing's Spanish rider Jorge Martin celebrates on the podium at the end of the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, north of Doha on April 13, 2025. (AFP)

MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin will remain with Aprilia for the 2026 season, the Spaniard said on Thursday, having previously announced his intention to leave the Italian team before next season.

Martin won his first MotoGP title last season with Pramac Racing before moving to Aprilia on a two-year contract, but in May the 27-year-old said he had exercised his right to release himself for the 2026 season.

Aprilia reacted to Martin's announcement by saying they were prepared to take the matter to court, but ahead of his long-awaited return to action in Saturday's Czech Grand Prix, the Spaniard put an end to the controversy.

"I'm really happy to be here again. It was a really difficult six or seven months suffering a lot with a lot of injuries but I'm happy to be here and to be back in MotoGP," Martin told reporters.

"Finally, I'm happy to say that I'll continue with Aprilia for 2026."

Martin has raced just once this season after a pre-season crash ruled him out of the first three rounds and a crash in his first race in Qatar led to a collapsed lung and bruised ribs.