"I'm very happy, very proud of myself," said Kenin, who is bidding to make her first WTA 1000 final.
In the semi-finals, Kenin will take on American world number 111 Caroline Dolehide who saved four matchpoints to beat Martina Trevisan 3-6 7-6(9) 6-3.
"To be honest, I had to find a way today to win," Dolehide said after reaching her first Tour-level semi-final.
"I just played with my kick, played with my best shots and I ended up winning that set.
The Frenchwoman meets second seed and last year's runner-up Maria Sakkari, who eased past Emiliana Arango 6-3 6-4.
Persons:
Sofia Kenin, Canada's Leylah Fernandez, Henry Romero, Leylah Fernandez, Kenin, I've, Caroline Dolehide, Martina Trevisan, Dolehide, Caroline Garcia, Garcia, Maria Sakkari, Emiliana Arango, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Stephen Coates
Organizations:
Panamerican Tennis Center, Canada's Leylah Fernandez REUTERS, Rights, San Diego Open, Victoria Azarenka, Thomson
Locations:
Guadalajara, Mexico, Rights GUADALAJARA, Melbourne, Bengaluru