Montreal, QC – Last week's Olympic bronze medalist Victoria Azarenka decided against resuming her second-round match Friday at the $2.168 million Rogers Cup tennis event.
The world No. 1 Azarenka was tied with Austrian Tamira Paszek 3-3 in the first set when their second-round match was suspended on Thursday night. On Friday, the Australian Open champion from Belarus did not resume the match, citing a left knee injury, sending Paszek into the third round on the hardcourts at Uniprix Stadium.
The delayed second round was completed Friday but only two third-round matches finished because of the rain.
Last year's Rogers Cup runner-up Sam Stosur suffered a third-round loss at the hands of 16th-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova, 7-6 (11-9), 7-6 (7-5). The fourth- seeded Aussie Stosur lost to American great Serena Williams in last year's finale in Toronto, as this event shifts between Toronto and Montreal each year.
Also, fifth-seeded former Wimbledon runner-up Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic reached the quarterfinals in Montreal with a 6-1, 6-1 pasting of ninth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France.
Rain suspended the match between Aleksandra Wozniak and Christina McHale. Wozniak was one game away from becoming the first Canadian woman in 20 years to reach the quarterfinals of the event. She was leading 7-6 (7-5), 5-2 before the sky opened.
In other second-round action Friday, Angelique Kerber handled Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-3 and the 2010 Rogers Cup champion Caroline Wozniacki stepped over Dutch qualifier Kiki Bertens 7-5, 6-1.
The 2012 Rogers Cup champ will pocket $385,000.
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