Taiwanese No. 1 Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the quarter-finals of the Taiwan Open in Kaohsiung yesterday, while top seed Venus Williams also claimed a spot in the last eight.
Sixth seed Hsieh defeated world No. 173 Mandy Minella of Luxembourg 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 in 1 hour, 50 minutes on Center Court at the Yang-Ming Tennis Center.
The Taiwanese world No. 81 saved two of five break points and converted five of 13, winning 93 of the 173 points contested to set up a quarter-final against world No. 95 Elizaveta Kulichkova on Center Court today.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
Hsieh has a 2-0 career record against the Russian after victories in Sydney earlier this year and in the quarter-finals in Kuala Lumpur last year.
Earlier on Center Court, top seed Williams advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Urszula Radwanska of Poland.
Williams saved two of four break points and converted five of seven, winning 66 of the 118 points contested in 1 hour, 26 minutes.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
Williams faces Latvian world No. 103 Anastasija Sevastova for the first time in today’s quarter-finals.
Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland provided the upset of the day when she ousted Chinese fifth seed Zheng Saisai 6-4, 6-4 in the first match on Center Court.
World No. 117 Voegele saved four of eight break points and converted six of 11, winning 73 of the 135 points contested to complete the victory in 1 hour, 49 minutes.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
It was the Swiss player’s first victory over Zheng. The Chinese world No. 70 won their only previous match at the US Open in 2014.
Voegele faces third seed Yulia Putintseva in today’s quarter-finals. She has a 2-1 career record against the Kazakh world No. 64, including a quarter-final victory in Doha last year.
Also advancing was Japanese second seed Misaki Doi, who took just 73 minutes to ease past world No. 97 Magda Linette of Poland 6-2, 6-3.
The world No. 61 saved five of seven break points and converted five of eight, winning 61 of the 107 points contested to set up a quarter-final against fellow countrywoman seventh seed Kurumi Nara.
In the doubles, Japanese duo Eri Hozumi and Miyu Kato ousted second-seeded Chinese pairing Liang Chen and Wang Yafan 6-2, 7-5 in the quarter-finals.
Hozumi and Kato converted five of seven break points and won 64 of the 106 points contested in 66 minutes to set up a semi-final against third-seeded Ukrainian sisters Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok, who defeated Kristina Kucova of Slovakia and Sevastova 7-6 (11/9), 4-6, 10-4.
Taiwanese sisters Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan, the top seeds, face Marina Melnikova of Russia and Minella in the remaining quarter-final on Center Court today.
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