Also on Wednesday, fourth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain defeated Olga Govortsova of Belarus 6-3, 6-4. No. 8 seed Sara Errani of Italy and Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic also advanced to the quarter-finals.
The 34th-ranked Suarez Navarro dropped serve early in the opening set, but saved three more break points afterwards. Suarez Navarro next plays Kvitova, who upset No. 5 Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-4, 7-5. Kvitova, ranked 55th, has not dropped a set in three matches this season against her higher ranked countrywoman.
Errani eased past Tatjana Malek of Germany, 6-3, 6-0. Malek scored only four points on her own serve in the second set.
In first-round play, No. 3 Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium defeated Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 7-6 (8/6), 6-4.
The 24th-ranked Wickmayer, who has qualified for next month’s season-ending Tournament of Champions in Bali, missed five set points in the opening set and converted only one of 10 breakpoints.
In the second round, Wickmayer faces Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania, who routed Sybille Bammer of Austria 6-3, 6-1.
■JAPAN WOMEN’S OPEN
AFP AND AP, OSAKA, JAPAN
Defending champion Caroline Wozniacki waltzed into the quarter-finals when she trounced Katie O’Brien of Britain at the Japan Women’s Open yesterday.
The 19-year-old Danish top seed, ranked sixth in the world after her runner-up finish at the US Open, never faced a single break point against her to chalk up a comfortable 6-0, 6-1 second-round victory.
O’Brien, ranked 94th, rarely saw even a game point come by on her serve, but saved some face by holding the third game of the second set — the third and the last game point for the Briton in a 44-minute match.
Wozniacki earned a rematch with Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada, against whom she retired because of a viral illness at 0-5 down in Tokyo two weeks ago.
Sixth seed Wozniak squeezed through to a 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) win over Taiwan’s Chang Kai-chen, the winner over then world No. 1 Dinara Safina of Russia in Tokyo.
Jill Craybas of the US, the 2006 champion, who eliminated four-time champion Kimiko Date-Krumm in the first round, outclassed Mathilde Johansson of France 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 to join Wozniacki. Craybas will next face third-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur, who defeated Japan’s Akiko Morigami 6-1, 6-2.
Second seed Marion Bartoli of France, fourth seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy, seventh seed Melinda Czink of Hungary and Indian star Sania Mirza reached the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
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