Azarenka eases into quarterfinals at Andalucia
Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka dispatched Laura Pous-Tio 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Andalucia Tennis Experience on Thursday.
- Associated Press
- Updated: April 08, 2011 12:25 PM IST
Top-seeded Victoria Azarenka dispatched Laura Pous-Tio 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals of the Andalucia Tennis Experience on Thursday.
The eighth-ranked player from Belarus trailed 3-2 in the first set before winning 12 of the next 14 games. Azarenka, coming off her victory at the Sony Ericsson Open, will next play former top-ranked player Dinara Safina.
"I feel like I'm adapting better to the tournament and the new surface and until now I'm satisfied with my play," Azarenka said. "Tomorrow's game will be interesting. Despite my ranking I don't feel like the favorite to beat her or to win the event."
Also, fourth-seed Alexandra Dulgheru of Romania rallied for a hard-fought 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain in just shy of three hours.
"With her difficult game, playing with a lot of topspin and coming into the court, it was difficult to build a point," Dulgheru said. "I was a running a lot."
Medina Garrigues fought back from 4-1 down to take the first set but was broken three times in each of the last two sets.
In other second-round matches, Spanish qualifier Lara Arruabarrena-Veci hung on to beat Czech Sandra Zahlavova 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 to reach her first WTA quarterfinals, and another qualifier, Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania, was a 7-5, 6-0 winner over Spanish wild card Estrella Cabeza Candela.