Serena sneaks into Rogers Cup semis
Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - Three-time champion Serena Williams was a third-round winner Thursday at the Rogers Cup.
The world No. 1 beat 15th-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova 7-5, 6-4 to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Caroline Wozniacki.
Williams, fresh off last week's title in Stanford, won this event in 2001, 2011 and 2013 and is a one-time runner-up (2000).
The 11th-seeded Wozniacki, who won this event in 2010, cruised past American qualifier Shelby Rogers 6-1, 6-0. Wozniacki is currently riding an eight-match winning streak, which includes a title in Istanbul last month.
Williams leads Wozniacki in their head-to-head series, 6-1.
Agnieszka Radwanska, the No. 3 seed, outlasted German Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. The Polish star will next meet eighth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who defeated Heather Watson 6-2, 6-4.
Meanwhile, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and French Open winner Maria Sharapova suffered third-round upsets Thursday at the $2.44 million event.
Russian Ekaterina Makarova upended her second-seeded fellow left-hander Kvitova 6-4, 1-6, 6-2, while 14th-seeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro tackled the fourth-seeded 2009 Rogers Cup runner-up Sharapova 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, following a third-set rain delay.
Kvitova had won three of her first four career meetings with Makarova. Suarez Navarro is now 1-1 lifetime versus the five-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova.
The Czech star and two-time Wimbledon titlist Kvitova was the Montreal champion two years ago.
The former world No. 1 Sharapova, who'd won 11 of her previous 12 matches on tour, has now lost her last two three-set matches after winning 11 straight.
Americans Venus Williams and Coco Vandeweghe won their third-round matches. Williams took down No. 6 seed Angelique Kerber 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 and Vandeweghe outlasted seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic 7-6 (10-8), 2-6, 7-5.
The 2014 Rogers Cup champ will collect $467,300.
Serena Williams advanced to the Rogers Cup quarterfinals Thursday, waiting out a brief rain delay to beat Czech left-hander Lucie Safarova 7-5, 6-4.
Billie Jean King and Elton John will host a tennis match at Royal Albert Hall in London.
Israel's Davis Cup match against Argentina next month is being moved out of the country because of the conflict in Gaza.
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