Doha, Qatar (Sports Network) - Top-seeded and defending champion Victoria
Azarenka, Serena Williams and two-time Doha titlist Maria Sharapova were among
Thursday's third-round winners at the $2.369 million Qatar Open.
The world No. 1 and reigning two-time Australian Open titlist Azarenka
dismantled young American Christina McHale 6-0, 6-0 in 67 minutes on the
hardcourts at Khalifa International Tennis Complex.
Azarenka, who beat former U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur in last year's Doha
finale, will face sixth-seeded French Open runner-up Sara Errani in Friday's
quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, the former world No. 1 and reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open
champion Williams handled Poland's Urszula Radwanska 6-0, 6-3 in 57 minutes
and the third-seeded French Open champion Sharapova cruised past Czech veteran
Klara Zakopalova 6-3, 6-3 on Day 4.
Also on Thursday, fourth-seeded Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska got
past 13th-seeed former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 6-1, 7-6 (8-6); the
aforementioned Errani outlasted Slovak Daniela Hantuchova 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 in 2
hours, 37 minutes; seventh-seeded former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova
overcame 11th-seeded Russian and 2006 Doha champion Nadia Petrova 4-6, 6-4,
6-3; an eighth-seeded Stosur straight-setted two-time Doha runner-up Svetlana
Kuznetsova 6-4, 7-5; and 10th-seeded former No. 1 and 2011 Doha runner-up
Caroline Wozniacki cooled off rising German Mona Barthel 7-6 (8-6), 6-3.
Barthel was a titlist in Paris two weeks ago.
Eight of the top-11 players in the world saw action on Thursday.
Friday's other marquee quarters will pit Williams against Kvitova, Sharapova
versus Stosur and Radwanska against Wozniacki.
The 2013 Qatar Open winner will claim $426,000.
The Sports Network