By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Former champions Caroline Wozniacki and Sam Stosur were a pair of easy second-round winners Wednesday at the Family Circle Cup tennis event, while Venus Williams advanced despite receiving a tougher test in her match.
The second-seeded Wozniacki, who only entered this tournament Saturday when a scheduled trip to Haiti with boyfriend Rory McIlroy was postponed, blew past Spaniard Silvia Soler-Espinosa 6-1, 6-1 in a mere 59 minutes, while the third- seeded former U.S. Open titlist Stosur whipped New Zealand's Marina Erakovic 6-1, 6-2 on the green clay at Daniel Island Tennis Center.
Wozniacki was the big winner here two years ago, while Stosur was the 2010 Charleston champ.
"I felt like I really served well and returned well today," Wozniacki said after pasting Soler-Espinosa. "I'm pleased with that."
Wozniacki's third-round opponent will be former top-10 German Andrea Petkovic.
The former world No. 1 Williams, who titled here in 2004, was pushed hard by Puerto Rican youngster Monica Puig in her second-round bout, however. The 19- year-old Puig took the seven-time Grand Slam winner to a third set before Williams ultimately prevailed by a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 score in two hours and 21 minutes.
Another former champion was taken to the limit in her Wednesday match. Seventh-seeded Jelena Jankovic, who captured this event in 2007, outlasted French qualifier Carolina Garcia in a two hour, 38-minute marathon. The former world No. 1 Jankovic edged Garcia in a lengthy second-set tiebreaker en route to a 5-7, 7-6 (12-10), 6-3 verdict.
Last year's Family Circle runner-up, sixth-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova, also advanced with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Croat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Safarova gave way to American great Serena Williams in last year's finale.
Meanwhile, American qualifier Mallory Burdette pulled off an upset by dismissing 15th-seeded 2009 champion Sabine Lisicki 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5. Burdette is rewarded with a match against the world No. 1 superstar and reigning Charleston champ Serena, a two-time titlist here.
In some other second-round action involving seeds, No. 10 Julia Goerges of Germany held off Belarusian Olga Govortsova 6-2, 0-6, 6-3 and Canadian qualifier Eugenie Bouchard upended No. 16 Brit Laura Robson 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. Bouchard will face Stosur on Day 4.
Promising American Madison Keys eased into the round of 16 with a 6-4, 6-3 handling of qualifier compatriot Grace Min, while the aforementioned Petkovic topped American qualifier Vania King 7-5, 6-4. Keys will battle another fellow American, wild card Bethanie Mattek-Sands, on Thursday.
The winner of this $795,000 tournament will earn $125,000.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/wozniacki-stosur-venus-reach-third-round-in-charleston