Tennis: Wozniacki Out of China Open, Kvitova Too Good for Shuai

US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki lost 6-4 7-6 (11-9) to former Grand Slam winner Sam Stossur of Australia to exit the China Open in the second round.

Former Grand Slam winner Stossur saved five set points to beat the Canadian- winner in Beijing in 2010. Stossur faces Alize Cornet in the round of 16 after the Frenchwoman’s 6-2 6-1 win over American Lauren Davis.

The defeat has endangered the sixth seed’s chances of progressing to the WTA season-finale in Singapore later in the month. The world No. 8 now hopes 10th-ranked German Angelique Kerber, who takes on Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova later today, does not progress to the quarter-final and Ekaterina Makarova does not reach the final.

Wozniacki Loses to Samantha Stossur in the Second Round of the 2014 China Open. Image: Getty.
Wozniacki Loses to Samantha Stossur in the Second Round of the 2014 China Open. Image: Getty.

Third seed Petra Kvitova kept her winning momentum going with a 6-4 6-2 win over new Chinese number one Pen Shuai to set up a third round clash with Venus Williams.

Fresh from winning in Wuhan, the Czech dominated the US Open semi-finalist to increase her advantage against the home favourite to 6-0.

With her ticket to Singapore already in the kitty, a round of 16 face-off against Venus, whom she last defeated in the third round of Wimbledon- her fourth over the American- presents a unique but familiar challenge. All five of Kvitova’s meeting with Venus has gone to three sets, and the previous three needed a tie-breaker- all of which Kvitova claimed.

“Every match I’ve played with Venus has been a great fight until the end,” Kvitova said. “I played her in Doha, 7-6 in the third, Wimbledon, 7-5 in the third. It’s always great. I’m looking forward to it.”

Maria Sharapova beat Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 7-6(3) to avenge her Montreal loss to the 18th-ranked Spaniard.