48 hours after defeating Diletta Cherubini (ITA, 399) 6-2, 6-3 in Sunday鈥檚 ITF W50 Huamantla championship final, 4th seed Malaika Rapolu 馃嚭馃嚫 (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 馃嚭馃嚫 extended her unbeaten Mexican hard-court run to 11 consecutive singles matches and advances to face Demi Tran (NED, 641) in Wednesday鈥檚 Round of 16.
Facing an immediate rematch against the player she defeated in Sunday鈥檚 Huamantla title match, Malaika Rapolu 馃嚭馃嚫 (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 馃嚭馃嚫 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 馃嚭馃嚫 (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 馃嚭馃嚫 (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 馃嚭馃嚫 (USA, 245) vs. Demi Tran (NED, 641) | Center Court | 1:30 AM IST (Thursday, 12 November) |