Linz, Austria – Last week's Beijing champion Victoria Azarenka and two-time Linz titlist Ana Ivanovic were easy second-round winners Thursday at the Generali Ladies Linz tennis tournament.
The world No. 1 Azarenka, this year's Australian Open titlist and U.S. Open runner-up, stayed hot by pasting Romanian Simona Halep 6-1, 6-1 in a mere 54 minutes, while the second-seeded former top-ranked Ivanovic handled wild card and fellow former top-10 star Andrea Petkovic of Germany 6-4, 6-3 on the indoor hardcourts at Tips Arena Linz.
Ivanovic captured Linz titles in 2008 and 2010.
Up next for the Belarusian Azarenka will be Croat Petra Martic, while the Serbian Ivanovic will battle Belgian Kirsten Flipkens in Friday's quarterfinals. Flipkens outlasted young American and fellow qualifier Mallory Burdette, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, in Thursday's nightcap.
Martic got past Austrian wild card Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-2, 3-6, 6-0, while Romanian lucky-loser Irina-Camelia Begu topped Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), and American qualifier Bethanie Mattek-Sands doused Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-3, 6-3. Mattek-Sands will meet Begu on Friday.
One other quarterfinal will pit fifth-seeded German Julia Goerges versus Swedish veteran Sofia Arvidsson.
The newest Linz titlist will earn $37,000.
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