Source: CCTV.com

10-03-2008 15:48

For the latest in tennis, let's head to Stuttgart, Germany, that's where Dinara Safina, Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic have all made it through to the next round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

Vera Zvonareva of Russia serving against Marion Bartoli from France on Thursday in Stuttgart. Zvonareva won 6-2, 6-0.(AP photo)

All three players won in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament on Thursday. Safina advanced with a 6-1, 7-6 riumph over Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova. Safina trailed 3-5 in the second set after having her serve broken, but broke right back to love. She was never ehind in the tie-breaker and used her second match point to close out the encounter.

She now faces an intriguing showdown with sixth seeded Williams who progressed with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Ukrainian qualifier Kateryna Bondarenko in just 66 minutes in a performance that included 12 aces. The second-seeded Jankovic also moved through to the last eight on Thursday with a 6-2, 6-love thrashing of Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko - Kateryna's sister. Jankovic and Bondarenko exchanged breaks of serve at the start of the match but once Jankovic broke for a 3-2 lead, she never lost another game. Awaiting the 23-year-old Serbian is seventh-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva, who was a 6-2, 6-love winner against Marion Bartoli of France. Also progressing is unseeded Russian Nadia Petrova.

 

Editor:Yang Jie