Second-seeded Vera Zvonareva was upset by Japan's Akiko Morigami 6-3, 6-2 Thursday in the Cincinnati Women's Open.
Morigami will meet Sania Mirza on Friday in the quarterfinals of the US$170,000 Tier III tournament. Mirza, who beat Morigami in the first round at Wimbledon, defeated Puerto Rico's Kristina Brandi 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Third-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia also advanced with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Austrian qualifier Sybille Bammer.
PHOTO: AFP
Qualifier Bethanie Mattek advanced when France's Camille Pin retired with a sore throat early in the second set. Mattek, the lone remaining American in the tournament, was leading 6-3, 2-0 at the time. Pin also retired from last year's Cincinnati tournament in the first round with a heat-related illness.
Two-time defending champion Andy Roddick recorded his 12th consecutive victory, advancing into the quarterfinals along with three other Americans at the Indinapolis Tennis Center.
The top-seeded Roddick beat Israel's Noam Okun, 6-3, 6-3 in the evening feature match.
PHOTO: EPA
"I'm surprised we didn't get rained on," said Roddick, who converted three of his five break points and saved the only one he faced.
Weather conditions changed rapidly during the 68-minute match in which Roddick had nine aces to add to his tour-leading total of 590.
"At the beginning [of the match] it was like a sauna. It was so hot and humid. Then there was a cool breeze and I saw some clouds," he said.
Roddick joined No. 4-seed Taylor Dent, Robby Ginepri and Paul Goldstein in advancing to the next round.
French Open champion Rafael Nadal beat doubles partner Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 6-2 to run his winning streak on clay to 31 matches.
Top-seeded Nadal, cheered nonstop by 5,500 spectators, needed three match points to finish his Spanish countryman and reach the quarterfinals.
"I was aggressive, I played nearly perfectly today," Nadal said. "It was one of my best matches in weeks."
Unbeaten on clay since April, Nadal tied three other players -- including Bjorn Borg -- for the sixth longest winning streak on the dirt. Guillermo Vilas holds the record of 53 from 1977.
Nadal said he felt little pressure to try and win his sixth straight tournament on clay and eighth overall this season -- which would tie him with top-ranked Roger Federer for the ATP tour high.
Second-seeded Flavia Pennetta overcame Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Thursday and remained on course to reach the Palermo International final for a second straight year.
Pennetta rallied from 6-1, 3-0 down to put three Italians in the quarterfinals of a tournament never won by a local player.
Pennetta will next face countrywoman Roberta Vinci.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
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