Hsieh Su-wei and the Chan sisters on Sunday set up a Taiwanese showdown at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, while in the women’s singles world No. 2 Simona Halep survived a tough challenge from Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Kozlova.
Third seeds Hsieh and Barbora Strycova took just 52 minutes to cruise to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia and Irina Khromacheva of Russia in the second round of the women’s doubles.
The Taiwanese-Czech duo did not face a single break point and converted five of eight, winning 50 of the 77 points contested to set up a quarter-final clash with Taiwanese eighth seeds Chan Hao-ching and Latisha Chan.
Photo: AFP
The Chan sisters had a slightly tougher time seeing of the challenge of Ukrainian sisters Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok 6-3, 6-4 in 72 minutes.
The eighth seeds saved five of eight break points and also converted five of eight, winning 50 percent of games on their second serve to improve their career record against the Kichenoks to 3-0 following two victories in China — Guangzhou in 2013 and Wuhan in 2015.
Defending champions Hsieh and Strycova defeated the Chan sisters in the second round on their way to the title in Indian Wells last year, and they also came out on top in the semi-finals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships last month.
In the third round of the women’s singles, Halep outlasted Kozlova 7-6 (7/3), 7-5 when the Romanian finally put away the world No. 114 with eight consecutive points in the second set, a backhand winner proving the decider just as it had in the first set.
Halep said her opponent had been tough to put away.
“It was difficult for me to close out those sets,” she told reporters. “When I was leading the match, she played without fear.”
The victory advanced the French Open champion, who won Indian Wells in 2015, to the fourth round for the fifth time in six years.
Meanwhile, the tournament lost 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, who retired against Garbine Muguruza with what organizers described as a viral illness. The Spaniard was ahead 6-3, 1-0 at the time.
Former Wimbledon and French Open champion Muguruza was happy with the way she had been playing against Williams before the American’s retirement.
“I think I played well,” she said. “I’m going to take the positive side of that.”
Sixth seed Elina Svitolina, looking for her first title of the year, beat Daria Gavrilova 7-5, 6-4 to advance, while world No. 7 Kiki Bertens reached the fourth round for the first time after a 7-6 (12/10), 6-4 win over Britain’s Johanna Konta.
Bertens next faces Muguruza.
“Konta today, she can play really aggressive, and I think with Muguruza it’s the same,” Bertens said. “So I have to serve well, go for my shots myself again where I can and hopefully play a little better than today.”
China’s Wang Qiang and Australia’s Ashleigh Barty also advanced.
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