Garbine Muguruza of Spain reaches to hit a forehand to Kiki Bertens of Netherlands during their women’s singles match at the Sydney International tennis tournament in Sydney, Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
SYDNEY — Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza’s decision to accept a wild card at the Sydney International has paid off, so far.
Muguruza, who retired in the third set from her first match at the Brisbane International last week with leg cramps, beat Kiki Bertens 6-3, 7-6 (6) on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals. Agnieszka Radwanksa also advanced with a 7-6 (4), 6-0 win over American qualifier Catherine Bellis.
Leading 2-1 in the first set, Muguruza left Ken Rosewall Arena for what appeared to be a back injury. But she returned to win six of the next eight games.
“I struggled a little bit today, with my game, the conditions,” Muguruza said.
She entered the fourth day of the tournament as the only female seeded player remaining following second-seeded Venus Williams’ second-round loss on Tuesday.
Muguruza will play the winner of the all-Australian match between Daria Gavrilova and Samantha Stosur for a spot in the final four.
Radwanska will play either two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova or Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi for a place in the semifinals.
It’s the fourth time the 28-year-old Radwanska has reached the quarterfinals in Sydney.
“I really like the courts here,” Radwanska said. Obviously conditions are tough, sometimes it’s 45 (Celsius; 113 Fahrenheit). Sometimes it’s so windy. But I think we’re all kind of used to that,” she said. “It’s something … in the air that it suits me.”
In men’s play, Paolo Lorenzi upset top-seeded Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 7-5, and Fabio Fognini defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
In other second-round results, Daniil Medvedev beat Jared Donaldson 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, Benoit Paire defeated Leonardo Mayer 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 and fifth-seeded Adrian Mannarino beat Ricardas Berankis 6-2, 6-1.