By Chris Oddo | Thursday June 16, 2016

Madison Keys reached the quarterfinals of the Aegon Classic in Birmingham while Petra Kvitova was bounced from the draw by Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko.

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Keys, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist last year for the first time, looked comfortable from start to finish as she raced past Tamira Paszek behind a relentless baseline attack.

The American was imperious in taking out the Austrian, who is also a former Wimbledon quarterfinalist. Keys struck eight aces and faced only one break point in improving to 19-6 lifetime on the grass. The world No. 16 took a 3-0 lead in the opening set but Paszek got on the board and actually earned a break point to get back on serve with the American serving at 3-1.

Keys saved that break point with a crosscourt volley winner from inside the service line and went on to win the next four games to open up a 6-1, 2-0 lead.

She would not face another break point in the match.

From there Paszek steadied, holding serve in her next three service games, but Keys struck again in the ninth game of the second set, catching Paszek off guard with one of her many booming backhands on the day to seal the match in just over 57 minutes.

The seventh-seeded American advances to face Ostapenko of Latvia in the quarterfinals.

Ostapenko, 19 and a former Wimbledon junior champion, ousted fifth seeded Kvitova, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, for her second win over Kvitova in 2016.

The Latvian broke Kvitova’s serve five times on eight opportunities and won 16 of 30 second-serve points against the Czech.

After the pair split the first two sets, Ostapenko broke Kvitova at love for a 4-3 lead in set three with a giant forehand return that the Czech could not handle.

The Latvian saved two break points (one with a big forehand down the line winner, the second with a deep backhand that forced an error) to hold for 5-3 and broke Kvitova again in the final game, sealing the upset when a forehand dipped into the net from the Czech’s side.

Two-time Wimbledon Champion Kvitova drops to 38-13 lifetime on the grass with her loss.

Caroline Wozniacki was also knocked off on Thursday in Birmingham. The Dane fell to Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-2, to drop to 9-9 on the season.

Wozniacki has gone 1-2 since returning from a two-month injury hiatus due to an ankle issue.

Great Britain’s Johanna Konta reached the second round with a 7-6(3), 6-1 victory over Japan’s Misaki Doi. Konta, the first British woman to rank inside the Top 20 since 1986, will face Wickmayer for a spot in the quarterfinals later in the day.