Pattaya City, Thailand (SportsNetwork.com) – Daniela Hantuchova continued her
quest for a third Thailand Open title on Thursday with a straight-set win in
second-round action.
Hantuchova, champion of this event in 2011 and 2012, earned a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
victory over China’s Zheng Saisai. It was the Slovak veteran’s second win over
Saisai this year, as Hantuchova also captured a first-round match at the
Australian Open last month.
“We played each other in our last tournament, in Australia, so I knew it was
going to be a tough match and the first set was very close,” said Hantuchova.
“But I kept going for my shots and I played a solid game.”
Next up for Hantuchova in Friday’s quarterfinals will be China’s Duan Ying-
Ying, who advanced when Zhu Lin retired after the first set. Duan won the
opening set 6-1.
Two seeded players were eliminated Thursday, as Japan’s Kurumi Nara and
Jarmila Gajdosova of Australia both lost in straight sets.
Russia’s Evgeniya Rodina knocked off the fourth-seeded Nara with an easy 6-2,
6-4 decision and will next play Croatia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, who toppled the
sixth-seeded Gajdosova, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.
Two other quarterfinals on Friday will feature Russian veteran Vera Zvonareva
against Marina Erakovic of New Zealand and Japan’s Misaki Doi against Monica
Puig of Puerto Rico.
Zvonareva, a wild card entry this week, won this title in 2009 and 2010. The
seventh-seeded Puig is the lone seeded player remaining in the draw.
The 2015 Thailand Open titlist will claim $43,000.
