Wuhan, China (SportsNetwork.com) - Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard notched third-round wins, while French Open titlist Maria Sharapova was sent packing Wednesday at the inaugural $2.4 million Wuhan Tennis Open.
The third-seeded left-hander Kvitova cooled off fellow Czech and last week's Seoul champion Karolina Pliskova 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, while the sixth-seeded Canadian star Bouchard took care of American Alison Riske 6-2, 6-3 on the hardcourts at Optics Valley International Tennis Center.
The big upset came when Swiss qualifier Timea Bacsinszky took out the fourth- seeded former world No. 1 Sharapova 7-6 (7-3), 7-5.
"There were a lot of, you know, times in the match where I did everything right for the first few balls and then didn't execute in the points," Sharapova said.
"I think I always allowed her to get another ball back and to make me play another ball.
"Then obviously that didn't help me, because I was making more mistakes."
The depleted draw has now lost top seed and U.S. Open champion Serena Williams, second seed and French Open runner-up Simona Halep, Sharapova and Wuhan native, Chinese hero, and Australian Open winner Li Na, who decided to retire from the WTA last Friday.
Two other seeds avoided upsets, as No. 7 German Angelique Kerber whipped Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-1, 6-1 and No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki drubbed Aussie Casey Dellacqua 6-0, 6-3. Wozniacki was this month's U.S. Open runner- up to Williams and last week's Tokyo runner-up to fellow former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic.
Also on Day 4, France's Caroline Garcia handled American Coco Vandeweghe 6-3, 6-2, France's Alize Cornet outlasted Belgian wild card Kirsten Flipkens 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 6-3, and Ukrainian Elina Svitolina received a walkover into the quarterfinals when Spaniard Garbine Muguruza pulled out of the draw. Cornet was a runner-up in China, in Guangzhou, last week.
Thursday's quarterfinals will pit Kvitova against the promising 20-year-old Garcia; Bouchard versus Cornet; Kerber against Svitolina; and Wozniacki versus Bacsinszky.
This week's champion will claim $441,000.
