Serena Williams, Li Na advance into Rogers Cup quarters

Image
IANS Toronto
Last Updated : Aug 09 2013 | 3:17 PM IST

World No.1 and top seed Serena Williams breezed into the Rogers Cup quarter-finals after a stunning 6-0, 6-3 victory against Belgium's 13th-seeded Kirsten Flipkens here, while China's Li Na had to fight hard to overcome Ana Ivanovic of Serbia to book her berth in the last 16.

Williams, a two-time Rogers Cup champion, who received a bye in the first round and nabbed a 6-3, 6-2 win against Italy's Francesca Schiavone Wednesday night, met Flipkens for the first time on the court Thursday, reports Xinhua.

She dominated the entire match against Flipkens, who had ousted her sister Venus in the first round earlier this week.

"I definitely thought about Venus, and I thought about what a great comeback Kirsten had, so I thought that I'm not going to get overconfident and she's obviously a really good player," Serena told reporters.

"So I was just trying to stay focused as well as intense, I really wanted to stay intense at that moment."

Serena is up against Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova in the quarters, after Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli had to pull out of their third-round match early Thursday due to injury.

The French player ended the second set of her third-round match against Rybarikova, who was leading 7-6 (5), 1-0.

Prior to Williams' match, China's only Grand Slam champion Li Na -- seeded 4th in the event -- was on the brink of defeat when she launched an aggressive attack against Serbia's Ana Ivanovic to fight her way into the quarterfinals 6-3, 1-6, 6-7(5).

She will face Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova next.

Earlier in the day, Polish player Agnieszka Radwanska, No.3 seed, defeated Australian Open semifinalist Sloane Stephens with a 6-1, 7-6 (2) victory.

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 09 2013 | 3:10 PM IST

Next Story