Eastbourne, England – Australian Open runner-up Li Na and former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki landed in the quarterfinals, while former Wimbledon titlist Petra Kvitova came up a second-round loser Wednesday at the $690,000 Aegon International tennis event, a final grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.
The second-seeded former French Open champion Li was scheduled to meet Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli, but the former Wimbledon runner-up pulled out of the draw because of a viral infection on Day 3 at Devonshire Park. The oft- injured Bartoli was the Eastbourne champ two years ago.
Meanwhile, the fifth-seeded 2009 Eastbourne champion Wozniacki cruised past British crowd favorite Laura Robson 6-4, 6-4 and capable Belgian Yanina Wickmayer took out the fourth-seeded 2011 Eastbourne runner-up Kvitova 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.
In other second-round action involving seeds, Russian Ekaterina Makarova upended No. 3 Angelique Kerber of Germany 6-3, 6-4 and No. 6 Maria Kirilenko of Russia overcame British wild card Elena Baltacha 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Kerber was last year's Eastbourne runner-up to Austrian Tamira Paszek.
Additionally on Wednesday, American qualifier Jamie Hampton beat Taiwan's Su- Wei Hsieh 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), Czech Lucie Safarova subdued wild card and former U.S. Open champ Samantha Stosur 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, and Russian Elena Vesnina outlasted Brit Heather Watson 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, as British players went 0-3 on Day 3.
Thursday's quarterfinals will pit Li against Vesnina; Wozniacki versus the 2010 Eastbourne titlist Makarova; Kirilenko against Wickmayer; and Hampton versus Safarova.
The 2013 Eastbourne winner will claim $117,000.
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