• WTA Tennis

Rampant Rezai marches on in Palermo

Aravane Rezai remained on course for a second successive title with a win over Mariana Duque Marino © Getty Images

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Aravane Rezai continued her march towards a second successive title with a resounding 7-6(3) 6-3 victory over Mariana Duque Marino in Palermo.

Rezai, who won the Swedish Open last week, edged a tight first set despite not actually winning as many total points as her opponent before turning the screw in the second.

The 23-year-old, who has bagged two titles this year already, showed her class in the second, breaking Duque Marino once while refusing to buckle on her own serve.

Sara Errani surged into the next round after powering past Mirjana Lucic 6-0 7-6(4). The third seed was at the top of her game in the first set, breaking Lucic three times to earn herself a bagel.

Lucic bounced back in the second but Errani took a close tie-break to seal her win. Fifth seed Kaia Kanepi was unstoppable as she breezed past loana Raluca Olaru 6-1 6-2. Wildcard Romina Oprandi beat Masa Zec Peskiric to book her place in the third round.

Meanwhile at the Prague Open, Budapest champion and No.7 seed Agnes Szavay extended her match winning streak to seven by cruising past Iveta Benesova 6-1 7-5.

Szavay will meet Slovenia's Polona Hercog in the quarter-finals - who progressed courtesy of Alexandra Dulgheru's knee injury which forced her to withdraw prior to the match.

Swiss veteran Patty Schnyder made it through after a dominant showing over Alize Cornet and she will play Anna Tatishvili in the last eight. The other quarter-final clash will see No. 8 seed Zahlavova Strycova take on Sweden's Johanna Larsson.

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