BEIJING: Rafael Nadal moved into the quarter-finals of the China Open with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory over Canada’s Vasek Pospisil on Wednesday.

The third-seeded Spaniard picked up his game considerably following his first-round victory over the 230th-ranked Chinese wild card Wu Di, during which he was broken four times.

Against Pospisil, Nadal only faced one break point — and he saved it.

Spaniard David Ferrer, fresh from winning his fourth title of the year in Malaysia on Sunday, advanced to the quarter-finals with a 7-6(7-5), 6-2 win against Czech Lukas Rosol.

Taiwan’s wild card entrant Lu Yen-hsun and American Jack Sock also advanced to the quarter-finals.

Also on Wednesday, second-seeded Tomas Berdych lost 6-4, 6-4 to Pablo Cuevas in the first round, just two days after winning his first title of the year in the rain-delayed Shenzhen final.

The second-seeded Berdych, the 2011 China Open champion, will now have to wait at least another week to secure a spot in the eight-player field for the ATP Finals in London.

He’s currently in fifth place in the standings and has a lead of more than 300 points over his nearest competitor, Kei Nishikori.

In the women’s draw, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, the fourth seed, advanced to the quarter-finals when Madison Keys retired from their third-round match with a thigh injury.

The American lost the first set 6-3 before calling it quits.

Seven women have retired or withdrawn from matches this week, including top seed Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard. Defending champion Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams also decided to skip the tournament, citing injuries.

Next up for Radwanska in the quarter-finals will be German Angelique Kerber who brushed aside Caroline Wozniacki 6-2 6-3, ending the Dane’s chances of qualifying for the WTA Finals in Singapore.

Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland overcame five double faults to upset seventh-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals.

Andrea Petkovic was bundled out by Sara Errani 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, compounding a tough season which has included food poisoning, injury and a first-round defeat last week in Wuhan.

It was a different story for Garbine Muguruza, who retired from last week’s Wuhan final against Venus Williams with an ankle problem but bounced back to beat Irina Falconi 6-2, 6-1.

The Spaniard will now qualify for the WTA Finals if she wins her next match against Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

NISHIKORI, WAWRINKA IN LAST EIGHT

TOKYO: Local favourite Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarter-finals of the Japan Open with a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 victory over Sam Querrey on Wednesday.

Second-seeded Nishikori set up match point with a blistering backhand down the line and won with a forehand smash, securing his third straight win in seven matches against the unseeded Querrey.

He will next face either sixth-seeded Marin Cilic or Steve Johnson. Cilic outlasted Donald Young 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 in a first round match.

French Open champion and top seed Stan Wawrinka avenged last year’s opening round defeat to Tatsuma Ito, by beating the 116th-ranked Japanese 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 to book his place in the quarter-finals.

Third seed Gilles Simon blew past Czech Jiri Vesely 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last eight where he will face Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller — a 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5) winner over Jeremy Chardy of France.

Seventh seed Feliciano Lopez from Spain had nothing left in the tank after reaching last week’s final in Kuala Lumpur and was dumped out 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 by Portugal’s Joao Sousa in a first-round match.

Published in Dawn, October 8th , 2015

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