TENNIS DOHA – Agnieszka Radwanska swept aside Flavia Pennetta with 6-1 6-1 in just 49 minutes dropping just 11 points in her seven service games. The Polish player played a solid match in which she hit 18 winners and committed just 7 unforced errors. She broke serve five times Pennetta,who won her past two matches against Radwanska including the victory in last year’s Indian Wells final, won only one point on her second serve. Viktoria Azarenka beat Elena Svitolina with 6-3 6-7 6-1 to set up another blockbuster quarter final against Caroline Wozniacki who was leading 6-3 1-1 against Alexandra Dulgheru who was forced to withdraw from the match. Diego Sampaolo
Radwanska got a double break in the sixth and in the eighth games in the first set before opening up a 3-0 lead in the second set en route to winning it with 6-1. Radwanska will face Venus Williams in the quarter finals. Venus pulled away to 5-3 in the third set but Barbora Zahlavova Strykova reeled off three games to lead 6-5 before bringing up a match point as Williams was serving at 30-40. Williams reeled off three consecutive points to force the match to the tie-break. Williams edged the Czech player in a tight tie-break with 7-5.
Venus leads 6-4 in her previous head-to-head matches against Aga, including their last match at this year’s Australian Open. The Pole reached the semifinals of the Qatar Open in four of her past five appearances.
Petra Kvitova led 6-3 1-1 when her opponent Jelena Jankovic withdrew because of a hip injury. Lucie Safarova edged this year’s Australian Open Ekaterina Makarova 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3. Caroline Wozniacki was leading 6-3 1-1 when qualifier Alexandra Dulgheru from Romania was forced to withdraw.
Wozniacki will take on Viktoria Azarenka who overcame Rising Star Elina Svitolina in three sets with 6-3 6-7 6-1. Azarenka earned a match point at 5-4 in the second set but Svitolina won the tie-break forcing the match to the third set. Azarenka won two consecutive titles in Doha in 2012 and 2013 but she missed the 2014 edition because of a foot injury. Wozniacki and Azarenka tied 4-4 in their previous eight head-to-head matches but Azarenka won their last match-up last January at the Australian Open.
Andrea Petkovic fought back from a set down to battle past Zarina Diyas in three sets with 5-7 6-2 6-4.
