48 hours after defeating Diletta Cherubini (ITA, 399) 6-2, 6-3 in Sunday’s ITF W50 Huamantla championship final, 4th seed Malaika Rapolu 🇺🇸 (USA, 245) defeated the same opponent 7-5, 6-2 on Tuesday in the Round of 32 at ITF W50 Chihuahua in Mexico. Competing at a new career-high singles ranking of 245 following consecutive W50 titles in Morelia and Huamantla, Rapolu 🇺🇸 extended her unbeaten Mexican hard-court run to 11 consecutive singles matches and advances to face Demi Tran (NED, 641) in Wednesday’s Round of 16.
Facing an immediate rematch against the player she defeated in Sunday’s Huamantla title match, Malaika Rapolu 🇺🇸 (USA, 245) absorbed early baseline resistance from Diletta Cherubini (ITA, 399) through 5-5 in the opening set before breaking in the 12th game for 7-5 and racing away with the 2nd set 6-2.
Malaika Rapolu 🇺🇸 Extends Unbeaten Mexican Hard-Court Run to 11 Matches
Entering the 3rd stop of her Mexican hard-court swing immediately after lifting consecutive W50 trophies in Morelia on 1 November and Huamantla on 8 November, 4th seed Malaika Rapolu 🇺🇸 (USA, 245) showed no signs of fatigue in her Chihuahua opener. After edging a tight 12-game opening set 7-5 against Diletta Cherubini (ITA, 399), the 22-year-old former University of Texas standout took command of the baseline exchanges in Set 2 to seal a 7-5, 6-2 triumph and book her place in the last 16.
| Round | Match | Score | Match Breakdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| R32 | [4] Malaika Rapolu 🇺🇸 (USA, 245) d. Diletta Cherubini (ITA, 399) | 7-5, 6-2 | Extended her Mexican W50 winning streak to 11 straight matches by breaking late for 7-5 in Set 1 before rolling 6-2 |
| Round | Match | Court | Scheduled Start Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| R16 | [4] Malaika Rapolu 🇺🇸 (USA, 245) vs. Demi Tran (NED, 641) | Center Court | 1:30 AM IST (Thursday, 12 November) |