Estoril Open 2007 News and Events

Victoria Azarenka
© AFP/Getty Images

World No. 68 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus surprised second-seeded Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-2 in 77 minutes for a place in the Estoril Open quarterfinals on Thursday.

Azarenka last reached a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour quarterfinal at Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in October 2006 (l. to Sun in the semifinals). She has a 12-6 record this season.

The 17-year-old lost in the first round to eventual champion Jie Zheng of China last year.

Schiavone, who had her serve broken five times, won 45 0f 107 points in total.

The 26-year-old Italian has won back-to-back matches only once this year in Doha, when she lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. She has a 7-9 match record in 2007.

Azarenka will now play Argentine Gisela Dulko, who last week captured her maiden Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title (d. Cirstea) in Budapest, Hungary.

Dulko fought past Italian Flavia Pennetta, who reached the semifinals last year, for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win in one hour and 45 minutes. Dulko now leads Pennetta 3-1 in their career series.

The pair were top seeds in the the doubles competition this week, but lost in the first round.

Meanwhile, Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives reached her first Sony Ericsson WTA Tour quarterfinal since the Pattaya Open in February 2006.

Appearing in the Estoril main draw for the first time since 2000, the 26-year-old defeated Croatian qualifier Nika Ozegovic 6-3, 6-0 in 80 minutes.

Llagostera Vives, currently No. 410 in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Rankings, continuing her comeback from a right wrist injury that plagued her 2006 season.

She is now 8-9 for the year and will next meet top-seeded Marion Bartoli of France in the last eight.

German qualifier Greta Arn, currently No. 176, knocked out Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in one hour and 54 minutes.

Arn converted seven of 12 break point opportunities to advance to her first career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour quarterfinal since Basel (l. to Gersi) in August 2001.

She will next play Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden, who advanced to the last eight after Russian No. 5 seed Olga Poutchkova retired with a viral illness. Arvidsson was leading 6-0, 1-0 with 39 minutes gone in the match.