Gasquet advances in Shenzhen

WUHAN, China, Sept 28, (AP): Angelique Kerber lost for the first time since becoming the No. 1-ranked player, losing to Petra Kvitova in the third round of the Wuhan Open on Wednesday.

Kvitova saved 17 of 22 break points on her way to the 6-7 (10), 7-5, 6-4 win over Kerber, who committed eight double faults.

“It’s always tough to play against Petra,” said Kerber, who was facing Kvitova for the 10th time in her career. “I think we both played on a really high level over three hours. At the end, I think there’s no loser. I did everything today. I was fighting until the end.”

Kerber replaced Serena Williams atop the rankings with her run to the US Open title, and took time off before coming to China to start her Asian swing in Wuhan, where she had a bye in the first round.

Kvitova last beat Kerber in the 2014 Fed Cup final, and had since lost to the German three times, including in the US Open fourth round.

In the quarter-finals, Kvitova will face Johanna Konta of Britain, who beat seventh-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 7-5, 7-6 (6). Konta saved three set points in a marathon ninth game, and recovered from 6-3 down in the tiebreak.

Svetlana Kuznetsova ousted defending champion Venus Williams 6-2, 6-2.

Kuznetsova dominated Williams from the outset, breaking the American five times. She improved to 5-4 against Williams. Williams struggled with her serve in the gusty conditions and had seven double faults.

“I don’t think Venus played her best game. But I’ve been confident and I’ve been playing well,” Kuznetsova said. “I didn’t use a couple of my chances in the second set but I still could finish it 6-2.”

Kuznetsova next plays third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2.

Simona Halep of Romania also advanced, beating Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-3.

Halep, showing no sign of the hamstring injury that ruled her out of Tokyo last week, will face Madison Keys of the United States in the quarters. Keys beat Russian qualifier Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

In Shenzhen, China, Alexander Zverev withdrew from the Shenzhen Open on Wednesday, citing fatigue three days after winning his first ATP title in St. Petersburg.

Zverev, at 19 the youngest winner on tour in more than eight years, arrived late from Russia, and the German teen was replaced in the draw by lucky loser Thomas Fabbiano, who went on to beat Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to complete the first round.

Zverev’s older defeated another brother, Mischa,

Italian, Fabio Fognini, 7-6 (3), 6-4.

Mischa, a qualifier, served 10 aces and won 79 percent of his service points to book his first quarterfinal since last year in Valencia, where he also defeated Fognini.

Richard Gasquet brushed aside Australian qualifier Andrew Whittington 6-1, 6-0 in the second round, and will play Mischa Zverev in the quarterfinals.

Second-seeded David Goffin of Belgium received a setback in his bid to qualify for the ATP Finals, when he lost to Malek Jaziri of Tunisia 7-6 (2), 3-6, 6-2. Jaziri made his second quarterfinals in as many weeks.

In Tashkent, Uzbekistan, secondseeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium scraped into her sixth quarterfinals of the year at the Tashkent Open, edging Maria Sakkari of Greece 7-6 (0), 3-6, 7-6 (4) on Wednesday.

Flipkens set up a quarterfinal meeting with Denisa Allertova of the Czech Republic. Only twice this year has Flipkens reached the semifinals.

Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko continued her winning streak after victory in the Guangzhou Open last week, going the distance to surpass Turkish qualifier Ipek Soylu 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.

Tsurenko next faces defending champion Nao Hibino of Japan. Hibino beat compatriot Risa Ozaki 7-5, 6-1 to avenge a loss last year in Acapulco.

Two seeded players lost in the second round; No. 5 Kurumi Nara of Japan to Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic, and No. 8 Naomi Broady of Britain to Irina Khromacheva of Russia. decided to return to the pit for a tire change at the end of the third lap.

After changing to dry-condition tires and changing drivers from Koki Saga to Yuichi Nakayama, the team returned to the race having lost considerable ground. The No. 31 Toyota Prius apr GT, however, continued to compete, and in the last half of the race and with two laps remaining, Nakayama went ahead to finish second in a close contest. Round 7 of the 2016 championship now takes place in Thailand on October 8th and 9th, 2016.

According to Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, “It was an excellent result for the No. 31 Toyota Prius apr GT and I would like to congratulate the drivers and the entire support staff for this outstanding performance. The experience gained through participation in toplevel motorsports has contributed significantly in helping Toyota to build ever better cars to put a smile on the faces of our customers. We also appreciate the support of our fans and their constant encouragement for our racing initiatives.”

Race Notes: No. 31 Toyota Prius apr GT (Koki Saga and Yuichi Nakayama)

l Race: 2nd, 161 laps, Best Lap: 2’01.944