Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova, holder Daniela Hantuchova and second seed Svetlana Kuznetsova reached the Pacific Life Open quarter-finals in contrasting styles on Tuesday.
Fourth seed Sharapova, winner at Indian Wells in 2006, maintained her perfect start to the season but had to work hard to beat Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.
The 20-year-old Russian bounced back from an error-prone second set to break Bondarenko in the ninth game of the third before sealing victory in just under three hours.
Sharapova, who won her third Grand Slam crown at the Australian Open in January before claiming her 18th WTA title in Doha, is unbeaten in 17 matches this year.
Twice champion Hantuchova beat India's Sania Mirza 6-1, 7-6 before Kuznetsova swept past 17-year-old Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-2, 6-3 at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
Hantuchova held off a strong fightback by her opponent to wrap up victory in one hour, 55 minutes and set up a quarter-final with Sharapova.
"I thought it was a great match," the fifth-seeded Slovakian told reporters.
"Sania is a great hitter and I was expecting a really tough one today. Just being able to be in the quarters without losing a set feels really great.
GOOD SIGNS
"I feel like I'm hitting the ball well again," added the 24-year-old, who claimed her first WTA career title at Indian Wells in 2002.
"I'm doing it the same way as last year so those two are pretty good signs. We'll see what's going to happen."
Hantuchova, who beat Kuznetsova in last year's final, broke Mirza in the second and fourth games to storm through the opening set in 39 minutes.
After trading an early service break in the second set, the elegant Slovakian broke again in the 11th game, when her opponent double-faulted, to lead 6-5.
Although Hantuchova then lost her own serve, she clinched the tiebreak 7-4, sealing victory with a crunching backhand down the line.
In an earlier match, third-seeded Serb Jelena Jankovic brushed aside Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-3, 6-3.
Later on Tuesday, top-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic was scheduled to play Italy's Francesca Schiavone and sixth seed Marion Bartoli was due to face twice former champion American Lindsay Davenport.
© 2024 Rediff.com -