Kiki Bertens stuns Pliskova as last top 10 seed eliminated
WIMBLEDON Cibulkova, Ostapenko, Goerges too advance to quarterfinals
: Kiki Bertens knocked out the last top-10 seed in the women’s singles at Wimbledon as the Dutch world No 20 stunned Karolina Pliskova with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) victory in the fourth round on Monday. Bertens followed her shock third round success against five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams by claiming the scalp of Czech seventh seed Pliskova.
The exit of former world No 1 Pliskova came after the women’s draw was blown wide open by surprise defeats earlier in the tournament for Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Caroline Wozniacki, Simona Halep and Sloane Stephens.
Germany’s Angelique Kerber, seeded 11th, is the top ranked player remaining.
But the title favourite is seventime champion Serena Williams, seeded 25th after her lengthy maternity leave, and due to face Russian qualifier — and fellow mother — Evgeniya Rodina later on Monday. Bertens, a French Open semi-finalist in 2016, is into the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time. The 26-year-old faces German 13th seed Julia Goerges on Tuesday.
Bertens, who was contemplating retirement last year after losing her enthusiasm for the sport, is the first Dutch woman to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Michaella Krajicek in 2007.
CIBULKOVA TRIUMPHS Dominika Cibulkova shrugged off a furious line call controversy to power into the quarter-finals with a 6-4, 6-1 rout of Taiwanese giant-killer Hsieh Su-Wei on Monday.
Cibulkova was furious when Hsieh successfully persuaded the umpire to replay a point that was initially called in the Slovakian’s favour and would have given her three set points in the opening set.
But the 29-year-old challenged her anger to crush Hsieh — who had shocked world number one Simona Halep in the previous round.
Cibulkova is ranked 33rd in the world and controversially missed out on being seeded at Wimbledon when tournament officially moved up seven-time champion Serena Williams into the seedings despite the American being ranked outside the top 150 following her maternity leave.
Although Cibulkova complained about the decision, the former Australian Open finalist has refocused well enough to make her third Wimbledon quarter-final. She faces Latvian 12th seed Jelena Ostapenko, a former French Open champion, for a place in the semi-finals.
LONDON
OSTAPENKO ADVANCES Jelena Ostapenko advanced to a second consecutive Wimbledon quarter-final with a 7-6 (4), 6-0 victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich. The 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko lost her first two service games and went 5-2 down in the opening set before rallying to force a tiebreaker against her Belarussian opponent.
The 12th-seeded Ostapenko was aggressive throughout, hitting 28 winners — 13 coming off her backhand.
The Latvian player also reached the quarter-finals last year in her best Wimbledon showing, losing to eventual runner-up Venus Williams.
The 21-year-old Ostapenko, the youngest player remaining in the women’s draw, next faces 33rd-ranked Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.
GOERGES IN QUARTERS
Julia Goerges is through to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time after the German 13th seed beat Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-3, 6-2 on Monday.
Goerges was competing in her first Wimbledon last 16 tie after five successive opening round defeats at the All England Club.
The 29-year-old rose to the occasion, sweeping aside world number 55 Donna Vekic, who defeated US Open champion Sloane Stephens in the first round and was also chasing a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final berth. Goerges takes on Dutch 20th seed Kiki Bertens for a place in the semi-finals.