Doha, Qatar (SportsNetwork.com) – Top seed Petra Kvitova was upset by
ninth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro at the Qatar Open tennis event.
Also on Thursday, a battle of former world No. 1s saw Victoria Azarenka whip
Caroline Wozniacki and another upset came when seventh-seeded Venus Williams
upended No. 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in quarterfinal action.
The nifty Spaniard Suarez Navarro came from behind to bounce the Czech
left-hander and two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3.
Meanwhile, the 2012 and 2013 Doha champion Azarenka drilled the third-seeded
Wozniacki 6-3, 6-1. Azarenka, performing as a wild card this week, also bested
Wozniacki in a second-round match at the Australian Open last month.
Azarenka is now 5-4 lifetime versus the Danish Wozniacki, including wins now
in their last three meetings.
The 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Wozniacki was the Doha runner-up in 2011.
The former top-ranked star Williams took down the former Wimbledon runner-up
Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 on the hardcourts at Khalifa International Tennis
Complex.
“I just tried to stay focused because she wasn’t going to let up,” Williams
said after the 2-hour, 16-minute victory.
Radwanska also lost to the resurgent Williams in the fourth round last
month at the Aussie Open.
The 34-year-old Williams will meet Azarenka in Friday’s semifinals. The seven-
time Grand Slam champ Williams is 4-0 lifetime against the two-time major
titlist from Belarus.
Another quarterfinal result saw Czech Lucie Safarova vanquish sixth-seeded
German star Andrea Petkovic 6-2, 6-1. Safarova and Suarez Navarro will collide
in Friday’s other semifinal.
The 2015 Doha titlist will claim $124,000.
