WINSTON SALEM: Two-time champion John Isner made it safely into the quarter-finals of the ATP hardcourt tournament at Winston-Salem on Wednesday, where compatriot Sam Querrey toppled second-seeded Kevin Anderson in straight sets.

Querrey, seeking a third straight semi-final appearance in the US Open tune-up, downed Anderson 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 to stretch his career record over the South African to 7-4.

Querrey next faces Spanish fifth seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who saved two match points in a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) win over American Donald Young.

Isner, the top seed, defeated 13th seed Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan 6-1, 7-6 (7-3). Isner, a North Carolina native who won this title in 2011 and 2012, didn’t face a break point in the 68-minute match, firing 17 aces.

In the quarter-finals, Isner will face seventh-seeded Czech Lukas Rosol, who beat Spain’s Pablo Andujar 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun also booked a quarter-final berth, cruising past Spain’s Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-2. He’ll face Andreas Seppi of Italy, who beat France’s Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 7-6 (9-7).

Belgian qualifier David Goffin extended his unbeaten run to 25 matches, beating Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to set up a clash with Jerzy Janowicz. Poland’s Janowicz dispatched France’s Edouard Roger-Vasselin 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

WOZNIACKI FALLS

NEW HAVEN: Camila Giorgi sprang an upset to defeat four-time champion Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday and reach the quarter-finals of the WTA Connecticut Open, a final warm-up for the US Open.

The Italian saw off the former world number one in 78 minutes to book a last-eight date with Spain’s Garbine Muguruza, who eliminated Chinese qualifier Peng Shuai 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in another second-round match.

The unseeded Giorgi also ousted Wozniacki in last year’s US Open, but lost their only other meeting this year at Eastbourne.

Wozniacki, whose best Grand Slam showing was a 2009 US Open runner-up effort, won the title at New Haven from 2008 to 2011, but saw her record at the Yale University event dip to 24-3.

The 24-year-old Dane’s only prior losses since Wimbledon came in three-set battles with world number one Serena Williams in Montreal and Cincinnati.

The defeat does allow Wozniacki a few extra days to prepare for the year’s final Grand Slam, which starts on Monday.

Wimbledon finalist Eugenie Bouchard also failed to make it to the quarter-finals.

Australian veteran Samantha Stosur briskly ousted the third-seeded Canadian 6-2, 6-2.

Stosur next faces Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, who beat Germany’s Andrea Petkovic 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (8-6).

Thursday’s other two quarter-finals were already set. Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova, who ousted top-seeded Simona Halep, will take on American Alison Riske, and second-seeded Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will face fellow Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014