Kvitova reaches last eight in comeback meet
BIRMINGHAM: Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was cheered as if she had been the home player, after a straight-sets win over Britain’s Naomi Broady in Birmingham carried her into her first quarter-final in eight months.
The applause was not intended as any slight to Broady, but as acknowledgement of an encouraging performance by the Czech, whose career may still be at risk from the injuries inflicted on her by an intruder with a knife six months ago.
Kvitova did serve a few double faults which briefly seemed worrying, but hit some fine ground strokes and moved better than she used to in a 6-2, 6-2 vic- tory on Wednesday.
Next up could be Kristina Mladenovic, the fifth-seeded French player, who caused a stir at Roland Garros two weeks ago by eliminating the defending champion Garbine Muguruza.
But Kvitova will have to wait, and make the best of another practice day while Mladenovic plays her second round against Zhang Shuai, the world No. 31 from China.
■ MADRID: Former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka said she has room to improve in the coming weeks, despite winning on her return from a year out in Mallorca on Wednesday.
The Belarusian saved three match points to beat Japan’s Risa Ozaki in her first match since taking time out of the sport after last year’s French Open to give birth to her son.
Azarenka, a two-time Australian Open champion in 2012 and 2013, was one game from defeat against Ozaki in her first-round tie when play was suspended due to bad light on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old rallied from 0-40 down as Ozaki served for the match to claw through 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7) in two hours and 44 minutes.
Azarenka will meet Croatian teenager Ana Konjuh in the last 16 in her only tournament ahead of Wimbledon, which gets under way on July 3. – AFP