Angelique Kerber in actionWorld number one Angelique Kerber displaced Japanese contender Risa Ozaki 6-2, 6-2 to emerge winner set for a quarter-final tie with Venus Williams come Monday at the Miami Open.Williams, who is seven time Grand Slam champion, overcame Russian seventh-seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to qualify for the last eight in the ongoing tennis event.Fourth-seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia could not make it as he lost to Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova; same was with ailing French Open champion Garbine Muguruza, who also succumbed in the fourth round.Kerber was on top early enough, breaking forth to maintain a 4-1 lead, which she capitalized on till the end.The German said notwithstanding her opponent’s ranking as 87th, she had closely followed Ozaki’s game before the match.“She came through the qualies, she beat good players, so I was ready for it,” Kerber remarked.“I talked with my team and I knew that she’s moving good and bringing a lot of balls back. I was trying to play my game and be aggressive.”Williams sailed past the first set prior to Kuznetsova’s, who is a two-time Grand Slam winner and second placed at Indian Wells the previous week. She came back from trailing to manage the second set to a draw at break time.The match was a tough contest for points, which earlier saw Kuznetsova went up 4-1, a position she soon relinquished after two long-drawn contests won by the 36-year-old Williams, an advantaged position suitable for her victory. This is Williams’ first victory against a top 10 contender since 2015.“It was tough out there,” Williams recounted. “She is like a wall. To come back in the tie-break was great, I hope I can keep that tennis up.”Safarova, ranked 36th in the world, also progressed to the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (7/5), 6-1 win over Cibulkova. Like Williams, this was her first victory against a top 10 rival since 2015.Safarova’s campaigns have been affected by illness for the past two years but the seven-time WTA title champion, has more hopes for the task ahead.“I feel healthy now ”” thank God and I’ll keep trying to push my limits more and more,” she said.The 30-year-old Czech has Dane Caroline Wozniacki to contend with, a player who progressed given Spain’s Muguruza retirement after feeling ill; a condition which edged her out in a first set halt.Discover more from NewsBreakers
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