Kvitova, Sharapova post wins; Wozniacki exits Beijing

Beijing, China (SportsNetwork.com) - Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and French Open titlist Maria Sharapova notched wins, while former world No. 1 Carolina Wozniacki was sent packing Wednesday at the $5.4 million China Open.

The hot third-seeded left-handed Czech star Kvitova, fresh off her title in Wuhan, China, last week, handled China's own Peng Shuai 6-4, 6-2 in a second- round affair, while the fourth-seeded former No. 1 stalwart and 2012 Beijing runner-up Sharapova topped Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 7-6 (7-3) in third-round play on the hardcourts at Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Center.

"I feel well on the court," Kvitova said after pasting Peng. "My confidence is a little bit higher than after the U.S. Open."

In other second-round action, former U.S. Open champ Samantha Stosur of Australia dismissed the sixth-seeded 2014 U.S. Open runner-up Wozniacki 6-4, 7-6 (11-9) and France's Alize Cornet leveled American Lauren Davis 6-2, 6-1 in rainy Beijing. Wozniacki was the China Open champ in 2010.

A third-round match between seventh-seeded German lefty Angelique Kerber and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova was postponed until Thursday, when several other stars will take to the courts for third-round bouts. The two-time Grand Slam champion Kuznetsova is a two-time China Open winner and two-time runner- up.

Current world No. 1 and two-time China Open champ Serena Williams will face 13th-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova, while second-seeded French Open runner-up Simona Halep will take on 15th-seeded German and 2011 Beijing runner-up Andrea Petkovic, Kvitova will lock horns with 16th-seeded former No. 1 Venus Williams, and ninth-seeded former top-ranked star Ana Ivanovic will be opposed by last year's Wimbledon runner-up Sabine Lisicki on Day 6.

Serena, who captured her 18th Grand Slam singles title at the U.S. Open last month, beat Jelena Jankovic for last year's Beijing title and also captured this event in 2004.