Williams rolls, Bartoli pulls out in Toronto
Serena Williams of the United States, serves the ball against Kirsten Flipkens, of Belgium, during the Rogers Cup women’s tennis tournament Thursday, Aug. 8, 2013, in Toronto. AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette
TORONTO – World No. 1 Serena Williams eased into the next round in straight sets while stomach problems sent Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli crashing out of the WTA Rogers Cup on Thursday.
Two-time champ Williams avenged an earlier loss by her sister, Venus, to Kirsten Flipkens by routing the Belgian 6-0, 6-3 in a third round match in the $2.4 million tournament at the Rexall Centre stadium.
Flipkens, a surprise semi-finalist at Wimbledon, ousted Venus Williams 0-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round.
Williams, the reigning US Open and French Open champ, won this tournament in 2001 and 2011 and was the runner-up in 2000.
Williams blasted 10 aces, had just one double fault and lost just one point (14 of 15) on her second serve in the 56-minute match.
Williams moves on to the quarter-finals where she next faces Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova.
French star Bartoli was upset by seventh seeded Rybarikova 7-6 (7/5), 1-0. Bartoli retired with abdominal pain after losing the first game of the second set.
Last week, Rybarikova captured her second consecutive Washington, D.C. crown.
Also, third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska dispatched 14th-seeded American Sloane Stephens 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) and fourth-seeded Chinese star Li Na rallied to beat former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5).
Former French Open champ Li battled back from 5-2 down in the third set to beat Ivanovic.
This was just the second career meeting between the two and their only other match seven years ago wasn’t even a full one as Ivanovic had to retire after losing the first set.
Ivanovic stormed out to a 6-3, 1-0 lead Thursday but then Li won six straight to take the second set.
Ivanovic jumped ahead 5-2 in the third before Li charged back, winning four of five games to force a tiebreaker which she would also win.
“At the start of the second set I began hitting the ball into the court more,” said Li.
“If I played a little bit soft, she was attacking a lot.”
Li said it became a battle of attrition so she just kept being aggressive.
“I was just trying to see if I could turn it around, and I’m happy I was able to. Sometimes you can’t play your best, but you just hang in there until the end,” said Li, who lost to Czech left-hander Petra Kvitova in last year’s Rogers Cup final.
Fifth-seeded Italian Sara Errani outlasted France’s Alize Cornet 7-5, 7-6 (7/3). Errani will meet 2012 Wimbledon runner-up Radwanska in the round of the eight.
Romanian Sorana Cirstea surprised 15th-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 6-4.
