Radwanska, Wozniacki, Venus advance in Tokyo
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Two of this week's top-four seeds -- last year's runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki -- and former world No. 1 Venus Williams were among Wednesday's third-round winners at the $2.37 million Pan Pacific Open.
Fresh off her title in Seoul, the former Wimbledon runner-up Radwanska rolled past 16th-seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova 6-3, 6-4, while the fourth-seeded former world No. 1 Wozniacki whipped unseeded Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1, 6-1 on the hardcourts at Ariake Coliseum.
Up next for the 2011 Tokyo titlist Radwanska will be fifth-seeded German Angelique Kerber, while the 2010 Pan Pacific champion Wozniacki will encounter Czech Lucie Safarova in Thursday's quarterfinals.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Radwanska lost to Russian Nadia Petrova in last year's finale in Tokyo.
Meanwhile, the unseeded Williams took out 13th-seeded rising Romanian Simona Halep 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on Day 4.
"It was a very tough match," Williams said. "She played very well. I don't know how I was able to win the match. I just wanted to stay in Japan longer."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Williams stunned top-seeded and fellow former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka here on Tuesday.
Her quarterfinal opponent will be promising Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, who bounced sixth-seeded former top-ranked star and 2009 Tokyo runner-up Jelena Jankovic 7-5, 6-2.
In some other round-of-16 action, fifth-seeded German Angelique Kerber handled 11th-seeded former No. 1 and 2007 Pan Pacific runner-up Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-2 and Czech Lucie Safarova doused 12th-seeded former U.S. Open champ Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-4.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Wednesday's schedule featured four former world No. 1 stars.
Also on Wednesday, seventh-seeded former Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova was scheduled to meet American Madison Keys, but that match was postponed, and 15th-seeded Romanian Sorana Cirstea was leading two-time Grand Slam winner and 2008 Tokyo finalist Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-1 when their match was suspended because of rain.
The 2013 Pan Pacific champ will earn $426,000.