Victoria Azarenka beats qualifier to move into Berlin quarterfinals

BERLIN (AP) — Former top-ranked player Victoria Azarenka reached the quarterfinals of the grass-court Berlin tournament with a 6-3, 6-3 win over qualifier Zeynep Sonmez on Wednesday before rain wreaked havoc with the schedule.

Now ranked 19th, Azarenka broke her rival five times and managed to save five break points.

It was the first time that Azarenka played Sonmez, a 22-year-old from Turkey who produced her first career tour-level win against Arantxa Rus on Monday.

Azarenka, who is from Belarus, was a semifinalist in Berlin in 2021. The two-time Grand Slam champion has never won a title on grass. Azarenka will face either Elena Rybakina or Veronika Kudermetova in the quarterfinals.

Third-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova had their second-round matches postponed because of the rain. Sabalenka was set to play her opening match against Daria Kasatkina, with Vondrousova facing Anhelina Kalinina. Both matches have be rescheduled for Thursday.