Sharapova lands in Birmingham quarters

Tennis Betting Lines

06/10/2010 - Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time titlist Maria Sharapova won a pair of matches on Thursday in order to reach the quarterfinals at the rainy $220,000 Aegon Classic.

The second-seeded former world No. 1 Sharapova finally completed her second- round match by getting past American Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-0, 6-3, and then erased fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-3, 6-1 in a third-round affair.

Sharapova's match with Mattek-Sands was postponed here on Tuesday and suspended because of inclement weather on Wednesday. Rain also wreaked havoc on Thursday's schedule, as three third-round matches were pushed into Friday, along with the quarterfinal schedule at this grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.

The three-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova was the Birmingham titlist in 2004 and 2005 and the runner-up here in 2007. Her quarterfinal opponent on Friday will be capable Bulgarian qualifier Sesil Karatantcheva.

Top-seeded Li Na of China won her second-rounder, 6-2, 6-4 against Brit Anne Keothavong, on Thursday, and was tied with 13th-seeded German Angelique Kerber 4-6, 6-3 when their third-rounder was suspended for the day.

Li was last year's runner-up here to Slovakian Magdalena Rybarikova, who came up a third-round loser on Thursday. A 10th-seeded Rybarikova gave way to the aforementioned Karatantcheva 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-2 at Edgbaston Priory Club.

Third-seeded Belgian Yanina Wickmayer and fourth-seeded Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai were also among those forced into double duty on Day 4, as Wickmayer handled British qualifier Laura Robson 7-5, 6-4 in the second round and doused 14th-seeded Thai veteran Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-4, 6-4 in the third, while Rezai bested Aussie Anastasia Rodionova 6-3, 6-4 in the second round and Croatian qualifier Mirjana Lucic 7-5, 6-3 in the third. Tanasugarn was the Birmingham runner-up in 2000.

Fifth-seeded Italian Sara Errani was leading Aussie Marina Erakovic 7-6 (7-5) after one set when their third-round match was suspended.

Meanwhile, American Alison Riske upset ninth-seeded Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak 6-2, 6-4 in a second-round meeting and then overcame former top-10 Russian Anna Chakvetadze 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 in a third-round affair. The upstart Riske will meet Wickmayer in Friday's quarters.

In other second-round action involving seeds, No. 7 Belarusian Olga Govortsova lost to Portugal's Michelle Larcher de Brito 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 and the veteran Tanasugarn came back to best Indian Sania Mirza 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.

Other second-round winners were Lucic, Erakovic and Estonian qualifier Kaia Kanepi.

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