The 23-year-old American had lost eight straight matches prior to receiving a wild-card entry into this week's US Open tuneup.

She beat qualifier Dalayna Hewitt in the first round and downed fifth seed Irina-Camelia Begu 6-3 6-2 on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals.

Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, converted all four break points against Begu, continuing her comeback from a series of injuries that have troubled her since claiming the title in Melbourne.

"I feel like everything is slowly falling into place and gives me some confidence," said Kenin, who is ranked No.415 in the world. "I'm super happy with the way I played and I'm proud of myself."

Begu, a Romanian ranked No.34, never led in the match. Kenin won the final three games in each set, taking a 5-2 lead in the second with a drop shot that left Begu visibly frustrated.

"I served pretty well and I played my 'good game' that I wanted to play today," Kenin said. "Irina is a very good player, so I had to do that to come out on top."

Kenin will next face either top seed Barbora Krejcikova or Bernarda Pera.

Seventh-seeded Aliaksandra Sasnovich rallied past Sara Sorribes Tormo 4-6 6-3 6-3, and eighth-seeded Alize Cornet defeated Clara Tauson 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) in other round-of-16 matches.

Australian Associated Press