Kvitova, Safarova Reach Montreal QFs

By Chris Oddo

(August 10, 2012)--Fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova and sixteenth-seeded Lucie Safarova moved into the Rogers Cup quarterfinals before rain delayed all other round of 16 matches at the Premier 5 event.

Kvitova's first win against top ten opposition in six tries this season was as convincing as they come. She rolled past ninth-seeded Marion Bartoli 6-1, 6-1 in one hour. "I'm really glad how I moved," said a thrilled Kvitova afterwards, "and my serve helped me a lot in the important points also."

Kvitova, who has lost her only two previous meetings with the Frenchwoman, hit five aces and saved all three break points she faced. She also hit a barrage of winners that left Bartoli dejectedly rolling her eyes.

It was the kind of punishing display that had many thinking the 22-year-old would be the WTA's premier player before 2012 began. But the World No. 6 is still looking for her first title in a season that has turned out to be more about Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova than the still up-and-coming Kvitova.

As far as her near-legendary shotmaking prowess, Kvitova was relieved to finally find it on Friday. "It's great to find my shots and my power because sometimes it's a little bit confused with my game," she said.

With Maria Sharapova out of the draw due to a stomach ailment, and Serena Williams skipping the event altogether, Kvitova finds herself in good position to reassert herself at the top of the game.

Kvitova will await the winner of Friday's rain-delayed round of 16 match between Tamira Paszek and Carla Suarez Navarro. Paszek reached the round of 16 when World No. 1 Azarenka withdrew from her match with Paszek due to a knee injury.

In other round of 16 action, Lucie Safarova scored a minor upset by taking out fourth-seeded Samantha Stosur in two tiebreak sets, 7-6 (9), 7-6(5).

Stosur, a finalist at the Rogers Cup in Toronto last year, blew a 5-2 lead in the first set and also failed to convert two set points in the first-set tiebreaker.

In the second set, Stosur had a 3-1 lead before yielding to Safarova. The 25-year-old Czech now owns a 4-2 career head-to-head advantage over the defending US Open champion.

Safarova will play either Roberta Vinci or Angelique Kerber in the quarterfinals.

Seventh-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and sixth-seeded Angelique Kerber each finished off rain-delayed matches on Friday as well. Wozniacki ended qualifier Kiki Bertens run 7-5, 6-1, while Kerber finished off Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-3.

(Photo Credit: AFP/Patrick Kovarik)