Cincinnati: Women´s holder Serena Williams dispatched Karin Knapp 6-0, 6-2, while sixth seed Ana Ivanovic, losing finalist to Williams a year ago, overhauled Sloane Stephens 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
"Ëveryone enjoys easier matches," Williams said after her 54-minute stroll.
"I think testing is also really important, but at the end of the day if you could have only easy matches for the whole
By AFP
August 21, 2015
Cincinnati: Women´s holder Serena Williams dispatched Karin Knapp 6-0, 6-2, while sixth seed Ana Ivanovic, losing finalist to Williams a year ago, overhauled Sloane Stephens 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.
"Ëveryone enjoys easier matches," Williams said after her 54-minute stroll.
"I think testing is also really important, but at the end of the day if you could have only easy matches for the whole tournament I don´t think anyone would object to that."
Williams and Ivanovic will next play a re-run of their final from 12 months ago.
"There is not much secret there, she´s been playing really well," said Ivanovic.
"It will be very important to play well and to put pressure on her and try to also challenge myself and see where I´m at."
French Open finalist Lucie Safarova advanced to the quarter-finals when injured opponent Belinda Bencic, who beat Williams en route to victory in Toronto at the weekend, retired hurt after losing the first set 6-2.
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka had to stop with leg pain after being taped at the end of the first set, handing a 1-6, 3-0 win to Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Former number one Jelena Jankovic beat eighth seed Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 3-6, 7-5.
Bencic later explained she retired with a muscle problem from so much recent tennis.
"I don´t think it´s like very serious, I just wasn´t 100 percent today," she said. "To beat Lucie or even compete against her, you need to be 100 percent." (AFP)
