Australian Open | Belinda Bencic, Karolina Pliskova and Donna Vekic advance to round of 16

(Melbourne) Belinda Bencic, 10^e world, Karolina Pliskova (31^e) and Donna Vekic (64^e) qualified without problems on Saturday for the 8^are Australian Open finals.

The Swiss Bencic beat the Italian Camila Giorgi (70^e) 6-2, 7-5 and return to week two of the Australian Major for the first time since 2016 when they failed to qualify for the quarter-finals. She reached the semifinals at the US Open in 2019.

In the next round, she will face Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka (5^e) or the Belgian Elise Mertens (32^e).

The Czech Pliskova eliminated the Russian Varvara Gracheva (97^e) 6-4, 6-2. Since her semi-final in Melbourne in 2019, she had not gone beyond the third round there. But she played the 2021 Wimbledon final and the quarters at the US Open in 2021 and 2022.

She will try to climb into the quarters by facing the Chinese Shuai Zhang (22^e) who beat American Katie Volynets (113^e and outcome of qualifying) 6-3, 6-2.

The Croatian Vekic released the Spaniard Nuria Parrizas (75^e) 6-2, 6-2. She has only reached week two in Melbourne once, in 2021, but has not progressed to the quarter-finals.

She will try to do so on Monday against a Czech, Linda Fruhvirtova (82^e) or Marketa Vondrousova (86^e).

Vekic only played one Grand Slam quarterback, at the 2019 US Open.