SPORTS

Davenport, Roddick cruise in Memphis

February 29, 2008 09:25 IST

Fourth-seeded Lindsay Davenport, playing her first WTA event on U.S. soil in two years, swept aside Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki 6-0, 6-2 in the Memphis Championship quarter-finals on Thursday.

The 31-year-old American broke her 17-year-old opponent, the sixth seed, three times in the first set before sealing victory in 53 minutes.

"I know she's a good, up-and-coming player so it was important for me to try and get off to a good start, which I was able to do," former world number one Davenport told reporters.

"I felt like on this court I might be able to overpower her, and I was successful in doing that tonight and I managed to keep the momentum going the whole way through.

"I am very motivated here at this tournament, the first one I have played in the United States since the summer of '06. It's exciting for me and I am hoping to do well and get to the finals."

Davenport, who returned to the court last September after an 11-month absence to have a baby, will meet New Zealand's Marina Erakovic in the last four.

Qualifier Erakovic earlier came from behind to beat Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 4-6, 6-3, 6-3.

BATTLED PAST

In the other women's quarter-finals, third seed Shahar Peer of Israel battled past seventh-seeded Swede Sofia Arvidsson 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 and fifth-seeded Olga Govortsova of Belarus beat German Julia Goerges 7-6, 6-2.

"It was really, really tough," Peer said after ousting the 2006 champion in a match that lasted almost two hours. "We both played very well.

"I changed my tactics a little bit from the first set and tried to be very aggressive and close out the match. It worked."

In the men's draw, top-seeded Andy Roddick blasted past fellow American Mardy Fish 6-4, 6-2 in a second-round match.

Roddick unleashed 14 aces to cruise to victory in just over an hour and book a quarter-final meeting with eighth-seeded Swede Robin Soederling, who crushed Victor Hanescu of Romania 6-2, 6-1.

Big-serving Australian Chris Guccione fired down 15 aces to upset sixth seed Thomas Johansson of Sweden 6-3, 6-4 while veteran Swede Jonas Bjorkman beat fifth-seeded American Sam Querrey 6-4, 4-6, 7-6.

Guccione will meet fourth-seeded Czech Radek Stepanek in the last eight where Bjorkman faces American Donald Young, a 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 winner over Colombian Alejandro Falla.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

NEXT ARTICLE

NewsBusinessMoviesSportsCricketGet AheadDiscussionLabsMyPageVideosCompany Email