Routliffe, Muhammad save match point in Cincy win

Erin Routliffe and Asia Muhammad came back from the brink to defeat Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 Cincinnati Open on Saturday.

They won the match against Schuurs from the Netherlands and Brazil’s Stefani 2-6 7-5 10-7, with it finishing after midnight local time.

Schuurs and Stefani were in control of the first set and were serving for the match at 5-4 and 40-40 in the second set. 

However, that’s when Routliffe and America’s Routliffe began their fightback, winning that sudden death deuce point, which also saved a match point. 

They went on to get a hold in the next game and then another break to take the set. 

In the super tiebreak, they won a crucial point against the serve at 7-7 and then held their collective nerves to clinch the match.

In the semifinals, Routliffe and Muhammad, who are the No 3 seeds, will play against Harriet Dart from Britain and Australia’s Ellen Perez.