Auckland teenager Sacha Jones has won her way into the quarterfinals of the US Open junior singles and doubles tennis championships.
She scored a hard-fought three set victory over American Ashley Weinhold in the third round of the singles and with American partner Lena Litvak beat third seeds Julia Cohen
(United States) and Italian Corinna Dentoni 7-5 6-2.
Jones and Litvak will meet an unseeded Austrian combination of Melanie Klaffner and Tamira Paszek in the doubles quarters.
The New Zealand 15-year-old will play the 11th seed Paszek for a semifinal spot in the singles.
Jones beat the more experienced Weinhold 2-6 6-2 7-5, saving two match points along the way.
Weinhold, 17, has already won an ITF senior singles and two doubles titles and reached the final round of the US Open qualifying for the main draw which included a win over top-150 player Anne Kremer.
"I am just so happy right now. I was down on match point and fought through. This is the best I have been playing all year," Jones said.
"She was definitely no slug and had an amazing backhand slice. She's won some ITF pro tournaments. I really did play very well today. I had to take all my chances and just go for it."
She planned the same approach for her quarterfinal match.
"I'm going to have to grind it out and fight hard to win."
Jones was down 2-6 0-2 before winning six games on the trot in warm conditions. The final set was a mixture of service breaks - six in total, four suffered by the American and two by Jones.
Jones broke her opponent's serve in the 10th game to make the score 5-5, but only after saving two match points with risky but successful attacking shots.
She then held her serve to go ahead 6-5, saving one break point, then broke Weinhold's serve to gain her place in the last eight of the tournament.
Among the spectators were her mother Sue and brother GD Jones, a member of the New Zealand Davis Cup team and who has been on a scholarship in the United States.
- NZPA
