CARLSBAD, United States/California: Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska set up a quarter-final clash with former US Open champion Samanth Stosur at the WTA Southern California Open yesterday with a straight-sets win over Daniela Hantuchova.
Poland’s Radwanska, the 2010 runner-up and 2011 champion on the hardcourts of Carlsbad, defeated Hantuchova 6-3, 6-3, her sixth victory over the Slovakian in eight career meetings.
She was joined in the quarter-finals of the $795,707 US Open tuneup event by younger sister Urszula, a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 winner over sixth-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic.
Urszula Radwanska’s victory was just one of the upsets of the day, with French wild card Virginie Razzano ousting eighth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 6-1, 6-4.
Razzano next faces third-seeded Czech Petra Kvitova, a former Wimbledon champion.
From 2-2 in the third set, Radwanska won four of the next five games from former world number one Jankovic as she booked her fourth WTA quarter-final appearance of the season.
“I’m very happy that I won this match today,” she said after earning a shot at top-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
“This is a huge step for me because she was No.1 in the past, and I was playing her for the first time.
“I knew I had to fight for every point and be focused. I think the key is when I was up 3-2 in the third set and then I won two games pretty easily.”
Another former world number one from Serbia, Ana Ivanovic, made it safely through to the quarters, defeating Coco Vandeweghe 7-6 (7/5), 6-3. AFP
