Zimpapers Logo

Venus Williams

STANFORD. — Venus Williams advanced to the Bank of the West tennis tournament quarter-finals on Thursday night, beating fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 7-6 (1).
After the 10th-ranked Azarenka, who celebrated her 25th birthday, saved three match points to force to tie it 6-6, Williams won the first five points in the tiebreaker. Azarenka’s second serve was the biggest difference between the two hard-hitting players. She won just 32 percent of her second serves, handing Williams a significant advantage.

Williams, who reached her third quarter-final of the season, was scheduled to face eighth-seeded Andrea Petkovic yesterday.
Williams, in her 12th career appearance at Stanford, reached her 10th quarter-final. She has won the twice and finished second five times.

Azarenka won the event in 2010 and has been eliminated in the second round in her last two appearances. Fifth-seeded Ana Ivanovic also advanced, beating qualifier Carol Zhao 6-1, 6-1. The 11th-ranked Serb, looking for her fourth title of the year, was scheduled to face top-ranked Serena Williams yesterday.

Zhao, a sophomore All-American at Stanford, appeared in her second WTA Tour event and gained her first career win at the level Tuesday when Yanina Wickmeyer retired because of a viral infection.

Ivanovic, a former No. 1, had three aces and won 75 percent of her first-serve points. In other matches, third-seeded Angelique Kerber beat Coco Vandeweghe, 7-6(4), 0-6, 6-2, and Garbine Muguruza topped Daniela Hantuchova, 6-4, 6-4. — AFP.