Sharapova, Azarenka reach quarters
Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus advanced to the quarterfinals of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford on Thursday.
Israel's Shahar Peer, another seeded player, wasn't as
fortunate.
Former world No 1 Sharapova, the fifth seed, beat Belarus' Olga
Govortsova, 6-3, 6-3 and the eighth-seeded Azarenka topped American
Melanie Oudin, 6-3, 6-1 in the second round, while Russia's Maria
Kirilenko knocked off the sixth-seeded Peer, 6-4, 6-3.
"It was a sloppy first game but the rest of it was fine,"
Sharapova said. "I took my chances when I could."
The 16th-ranked Peer became the first seeded player to fall at
the event, losing for the fourth time in her last six matches after
opening the year 18-5, which included a three-set win over
Kirilenko in New Zealand.
"This time I decided to be a lot more aggressive," Kirilenko
said. "This year has been so much better and given me a lot of
confidence."
The 27th-ranked Kirilenko, who meets No 3 seed Agnieszka
Radwanska in Friday's quarterfinals, is assured of her best finish
at Stanford in three trips.
"I played not too badly," Kirilenko said. "I can play better."
She's also had her career best results at the Australian Open,
when she reached the quarterfinals, the French Open, when she made
the fourth round, and at Wimbledon, when she was eliminated in the
third round.
Azarenka, who broke into the top 10 last year, reached her sixth
quarterfinal of the year by winning her eighth in her last 10
matches.
"I think I played very well," Azarenka said. "It was a little
tough at the beginning with a couple of service breaks but I felt
strong the whole match. For me it's important to play every point
the same, no matter what the score is. Whether I am up or down
40-love, that is always a key for me."
She plays the winner of a late match between defending champion
Marion Bartoli of France and former world No 1 Ana Ivanovic of
Serbia.
Oudin also thought she competed well.
"I had a game point almost every single game," she said. "I
don't think she overwhelmed me. It was close."