Hong Kong: Top-ranked Angelique Kerber quickly finished off her rain-delayed second-round match against Louisa Chirico at the Hong Kong Open on Thursday, dropping just one game to prevail 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.
Kerber was leading Chirico 2-1 in the third set when the match was halted on Wednesday due to rain.
Second-seeded Venus Williams was defeated by Alize Cornet 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, while third-seeded Johanna Konta withdrew with an abdominal strain.
Konta’s withdrawal puts her chances of qualifying for the season-ending WTA Finals in jeopardy. She is currently in the eighth and final spot in the standings for the WTA Finals in Singapore, but several players are still in contention.
Konta reached the China Open final last week and became the first British woman to crack the top 10 since Jo Durie in 1984.
Also, fifth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Heather Watson and eighth-seeded Daria Gavrilova defeated Katerina Siniakova 6-2, 7-5.
Meanwhile, defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska withdrew from the Tianjin Open with a right thigh injury on Thursday, shortly after beating Evgeniya Rodina 6-1, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.
Radwanska said she pulled out to give herself time to fully recover before the WTA Finals in Singapore later this month.
“It’s the end of the season, I guess everyone is struggling with something,” she said in comments posted on the WTA website.
Radwanska broke Rodina five times and won all but four points on her first serve. She had won her last eight matches, starting with her run to the China Open title last week.
Radwanska’s withdrawal allows Chinese veteran Peng Shuai to advance to the semifinals. Peng beat Chang Kai-Chen 6-3, 6-2.
Olympic gold medalist Monica Puig also reached the quarterfinals, beating Lara Arruabarrena 6-4, 6-2, while Alison Riske defeated Magda Linette 6-3, 7-6 (2).
– AFP
