Angelique Kerber and Sloane Stephens advance, Garbine Muguruza withdraws

Angelique Kerber and Sloane Stephens were given good workouts at the Sydney International while Garbine Muguruza pulled out of the tournament.
Defending champion and second seed Kerber moved into the quarter-final with a hard-fought 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 win over Camila Giorgi from Italy.
A winning return to @Sydneytennis for @AngeliqueKerber !
Beats Giorgi 7-6(3), 6-2!#SydneyTennis pic.twitter.com/jtbdm4jitF
— WTA (@WTA) January 8, 2019
World No 27 Giorgi had a 3-1 lead in the opening set, but Kerber found her rhythm and eventually got back on level terms before winning the tie-breaker.
Giorgi again broke first in the second set for a 2-1 lead, but the German won the remaining five games.
Kerber will face either Petra Kvitova, who beat the in-form Aryna Sabalenka 6-1, 7-5, or Hsieh Su-Wei in the last eight.
In first-round action, Stephens had an even trickier day at the office as she overcame an opening-set nightmare against Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova to win 0-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3).
“I was, like, it’s not going to get any worse than this,” the American said of the first set. “So it was like I might as well just play.
“Obviously she was playing well. Sometimes when you play a player that’s just playing like that, there is not much you can do.”
Two-time Grand Slam winner Muguruza, though, withdrew ahead of her second-round match against Kiki Bertens.
Muguruza beat fellow Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro in her opener on Monday, but pulled out on Tuesday with gastrointestinal illness.
More from Tennis365:
-
-
Top 10 biggest questions ahead of 2019 season – what next for Roger Federer?
-
Tennis betting preview: Alex de Minaur to wow fans again in Sydney
-
Tennis365’s A to Z of tennis for December: An ‘arrogant’ Lleyton Hewitt, a Fedal reunion and more
-
-
Warning signs are flashing for Andy Murray as he prepares his final comeback attempt
-
Latest
-
Tennis News
Roger Federer sends his fans into a frenzy with Twitter post ahead of his return to action
Roger Federer fans are counting down to his return to action in Doha next week and his tweet teasing his return instantly became a big hit.
-
Tennis News
Iga Swiatek’s perfect week as she claims her second WTA title
Iga Swiatek won her second career WTA title with victory over Belinda Bencic in the final of the Adelaide International.
-
News
Jamie Murray says quarantine threat on tour means players must be ready to adapt
The doubles specialist plans to travel to tournaments in Mexico and Miami next month without knowing what to expect on arrival.
-
Tennis News
Battle of the Brits event is back and this time with spectators
The Battle of the Brits events were a huge success during the Covid-19 crisis and now they are set to return with spectators.
-
Tennis Features
The only way is up for Naomi Osaka as she looks to replicate hard-court success on clay and grass
Oli Jefford on the world being Naomi Osaka’s oyster.
-
Kevin Palmer
Britain’s strength in depth in doubles highlights quality of structure
British tennis may be wondering who can replace Andy Murray, but they have a very different story to tell in the doubles arena.
-
Tennis News
Rafael Nadal pulls out of his next event due to ‘ongoing’ back problem
Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the ABN…
-
Tennis News
Lleyton Hewitt to be inducted into International Tennis Hall Of Fame
Former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt is the latest player who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
-
Tennis Features
Five of the best men’s matches at the Australian Open featuring Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Rafael Nadal, and more
The matches that made us sit up and take note.
-
Australian Open
Five of the best women’s matches at Australian Open featuring Naomi Osaka vs Garbine Muguruza, and more
Five of the best women’s singles matches at the 2021 Aus Open.