• Rogers Cup

Clijsters storms into Montreal quarters

ESPN staff
August 19, 2010
Kim Clijsters © Getty Images
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Kim Clijsters needed less than an hour to power into the Rogers Cup quarter-finals with a convincing victory over Kaia Kanepi in Montreal.

The Belgian fifth seed, who won her third title of the year in Cincinnati last week, continued her dominance with a 6-2 6-1 victory in just 55 minutes. After battling back from a set and 4-1 down against Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Wednesday, Clijsters powered to a 3-0 lead and never looked in danger of surrendering her momentum in the Uniprix Stadium.

With the Williams sisters both absent through injury and top seed Jelena Jankovic already out of the draw, Clijsters will be favourite to reach a second consecutive final as the top seed remaining in her half of the draw. Clijsters will now meet Vera Zvonareva in the quarter-finals after the Russian racked up a comfortable 6-3 6-3 victory over Hungary's Agnes Szavay.

Second seed Caroline Wozniacki looked like following Jankovic out after dropping the first set but she rallied to beat Flavia Pennetta 4-6 6-3 6-1 in what became a comfortable victory in the end. It was a case of youth beating experience, for the fourth time in fact, as 20-year-old Wozniacki maintained her perfect record over the Italian.

Pennetta's countrywoman Francesca Schiavone will be out for national revenge in the quarters after seeing off Dinara Safina 6-4 6-3 in a match dominated by returns. Schiavone only won five of her 12 games on serve.

Experienced pair Elena Dementieva and Zheng Jie had never faced each other and it wasn't a first time to remember for the Russian top ten player as she crashed out in straight sets 7-6 6-4. Five double faults contributed to the fourth seed only winning half the points on her serve, opening the door for Zheng to edge a tight one in just over two hours.

In an intriguing tie between former US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and Polish seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska, it was the Russian 11th seed who triumphed. Kuznetsova got off to a flying start, but recovered from a second-set wobble to book her place in the last eight against Zheng with a 6-4 1-6 6-3 victory.

Tenth seed Victoria Azarenka will face Marion Bartoli after both recorded straight-set wins. Belarus' Azarenka took a hard-earned victory over ninth seed Na Li, while Bartoli dropped just one game as she stormed past Jankovic's conqueror Iveta Benesova 6-0 6-1.

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