THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SYDNEY, Australia -- Top-seeded Serena Williams and No. 2 Dinara Safina made short work of their second-round opponents Tuesday to move into the Sydney International quarter-finals. Williams, who was stretched to three sets and saved four match points in her opening match against Samantha Stosur of Australia, beat Sara Errani of Italy 6-1, 6-2 in 50 minutes Tuesday. Her win at Ken Rosewall Arena, the centre court at the Olympic Park Tennis Centre, came moments after Safina finished off a 6-3, 6-0 win over fellow Russian Vera Dushevina in just over an hour on Court 1. Errani was in trouble from the outset, challenging two line calls within eight minutes of the first set -- and both went against her. Errani consulted with her coach after losing a third straight game and although she rallied at the beginning of the second set, the Italian seemed to lose her focus. Williams said she was much more comfortable with her game Tuesday. "I still think I can improve on some things, and that's what I want to do," Williams said. "I don't want to peak too soon. I just want to stay level for the whole season." Four other seeded players in the women's draw at the joint ATP-WTA tournament also advanced Tuesday. No. 3 Elena Dementieva of Russia beat Jarmila Gajdosova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-4 and No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia beat Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3). Sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 7-5 and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the eighth-seeded player, beat Britain's Melanie South 6-2, 6-0. Williams will play Wozniacki in the quarter-finals. "Last I checked she was No. 12," said Williams. "She's probably even better now. It'll be a good match for me going into the Australian Open, and also for her as well." In another match, Japan's Ai Sugiyama beat Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. In first-round men's play, Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia defeated eighth-seeded Mardy Fish of the United States 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia continued his comeback from a five-month injury layoff to beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 and Paul-Henri Mathieu of France beat Italian Andreas Seppi 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. The top four men's seeds -- Novak Djokovic, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Nalbandian -- received first-round byes. Djokovic, who begins the defence of his Australian Open title next week in Melbourne, plays Mathieu on Wednesday.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Serena advances to Sydney quarters
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SYDNEY, Australia -- Top-seeded Serena Williams and No. 2 Dinara Safina made short work of their second-round opponents Tuesday to move into the Sydney International quarter-finals. Williams, who was stretched to three sets and saved four match points in her opening match against Samantha Stosur of Australia, beat Sara Errani of Italy 6-1, 6-2 in 50 minutes Tuesday. Her win at Ken Rosewall Arena, the centre court at the Olympic Park Tennis Centre, came moments after Safina finished off a 6-3, 6-0 win over fellow Russian Vera Dushevina in just over an hour on Court 1. Errani was in trouble from the outset, challenging two line calls within eight minutes of the first set -- and both went against her. Errani consulted with her coach after losing a third straight game and although she rallied at the beginning of the second set, the Italian seemed to lose her focus. Williams said she was much more comfortable with her game Tuesday. "I still think I can improve on some things, and that's what I want to do," Williams said. "I don't want to peak too soon. I just want to stay level for the whole season." Four other seeded players in the women's draw at the joint ATP-WTA tournament also advanced Tuesday. No. 3 Elena Dementieva of Russia beat Jarmila Gajdosova of Slovakia 6-2, 6-4 and No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia beat Estonia's Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3). Sixth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 7-5 and Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, the eighth-seeded player, beat Britain's Melanie South 6-2, 6-0. Williams will play Wozniacki in the quarter-finals. "Last I checked she was No. 12," said Williams. "She's probably even better now. It'll be a good match for me going into the Australian Open, and also for her as well." In another match, Japan's Ai Sugiyama beat Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 2-6, 6-1, 6-2. In first-round men's play, Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia defeated eighth-seeded Mardy Fish of the United States 6-4, 3-6, 6-4; former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia continued his comeback from a five-month injury layoff to beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 and Paul-Henri Mathieu of France beat Italian Andreas Seppi 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. The top four men's seeds -- Novak Djokovic, Gilles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and David Nalbandian -- received first-round byes. Djokovic, who begins the defence of his Australian Open title next week in Melbourne, plays Mathieu on Wednesday.
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