Second seed Marion Bartoli powered past Petra Martic of Croatia 7-5, 6-1 to reach the Open GDF Suez quarter-finals on Thursday.
Roberta Vinci of Italy and Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium also moved into the quarters, along with Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic and German pair Mona Barthel and Angelique Kerber.
Bartoli hit a forehand return winner to clinch victory. The Frenchwoman won seven consecutive games to lead 4-0 in the second set, despite seven double faults.
Photo: AFP
“My serve cost me in the first set,” Bartoli said. “Either I was making double faults or I was serving too softly. She’s a girl who returns very well and who hits the ball hard. She troubled me right away. Fortunately, I managed to break her, otherwise I could have lost that first set.”
Martic saved 16 break points, but her form dropped in the final set.
“The rallies exhausted her a bit,” Bartoli said. “I felt great physically, therefore I got the upper hand in the second set.”
Photo: AFP
Vinci beat American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
The seventh-seeded Italian broke twice in the final set, clinching victory when Mattek-Sands sent a backhand into the net.
Mattek-Sands struggled with her serve in the first set, making four double faults and landing only 45 percent of her first serves, but the American jumped out to 5-0 in the next set to level the match when Vinci sent a forehand wide.
Photo: AFP
Mattek-Sands finished the match despite a lower back injury. She was in pain at 3-2 in the decider, sobbing during the changeover, and calling a therapist to massage her left hip and thigh.
Wickmayer ousted teenager Christina McHale of the US 6-2, 7-5.
McHale saved three match points at 5-4, but Wickmayer converted her fourth match point when the youngest player in the top 50 sent a backhand wide.
Barthel defeated Pauline Parmentier 6-3, 6-0, hitting 26 winners to six for the French wild card. The German qualifier, who won the Hobart International last month in Australia, converted her second match point with a backhand cross-court winner.
Zakopalova advanced to her first quarter-final since the Korea Open in September, cruising past Tsvetana Pironkova 6-0, 6-3.
Kerber, a US Open semi-finalist, edged out Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.
In the quarter-finals, Kerber plays top seed Maria Sharapova, Wickmayer faces Barthel, Zakopalova meets sixth seed Julia Goerges of Germany and Vinci takes on Bartoli.
PATTAYA OPEN
AP, PATTAYA, THAILAND
Romania’s Sorana Cirstea reached the semi-finals of the Pattaya Open when top-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia retired yesterday with a left hip injury in the third set.
The match was even at 2-6, 6-4, 2-2 when Zvonareva pulled out and sent Cirstea into the next round.
“I rushed too much in the first set. Then I tried to be more patient and made her play more while my serves and returns were better in the second set,” Cirstea said.
“However, I didn’t notice that she was injured and was surprised she retired. I hope she will recover soon,” she added.
Cirstea, a 21-year-old Romanian who is seeded seventh, will next face either Maria Kirilenko of Russia or Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand.
“Either of them will be tough,” Cirstea said. “Tammy is an experienced player and the home fans will support her. Maria is playing well, coming from Australia.”
Taiwanese qualifier Hsieh Su-wei beat Sania Mirza of India 7-5, 6-3.
“I wasn’t concerned much about reaching the semifinal. I just want to play one good match at a time,” said Hsieh, who will next play either Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia or Vania King of the US.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely