- WTA
Watson falls short against Vinci
Heather Watson gave every indication she is capable of producing an upset at Wimbledon after giving world No. 20 Roberta Vinci a run for her money at the AEGON Classic in Birmingham.
Watson, a former US Open junior champion, bounced back after dropping the opening set, but could not sustain her challenge as she fell to the fourth seed 6-3 4-6 6-1 at the Edgbaston Priory Club.
The British No. 3, who trumped compatriot Elena Baltacha on Wednesday, was the last Briton left in the draw following second-round defeats to Anne Keothavong and Laura Robson.
Vinci will now face Zheng Jie in the quarter-finals after the Chinese qualifier defeated Andrea Hlavackova 6-4 6-1.
Also through to the last eight is Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who recovered from a poor first set to claim a 2-6 6-1 6-3 victory over Marina Erakovic. Makarova will not be joined in the quarter-finals by compatriot Elena Vesnina after she was thrashed by American qualifier Melanie Oudin 6-0 6-2.
Thirteenth seed Hsieh Su-Wei blasted through Melinda Czink's defences, winning through 6-1 6-2 in under an hour, while Irina Falconi swept past Urszula Radwanska in straight sets.