Dokic into Malaysian Open quarters
Australia’s Jelena Dokic came from a set down to beat Japan’s Kurumi Nara in a tough second-round clash at the Malaysian Open on Wednesday.
Kuala Lumpur, 3 March 2011 | AP
Australia’s Jelena Dokic came from a set down to beat Japan’s Kurumi Nara in a tough second-round clash at the Malaysian Open on Wednesday.
Dokic, who beat top-seed Francesca Schiavone in the opening round, chased down Nara 3-6 7-6(6) 6-2 in two hours, 19 minutes.
“I’d never played her before. I didn’t know what to expect and how to play her,” Dokic said. “She was really getting everything back. She didn’t make one mistake until the third set. I knew if I won the second set I would have a chance in the third. I really fought to the end in that second set and it paid off.”
She will face Bojana Jovanovski in the final eight after the rising Serbian teen overcame Urszula Radwanska of Poland 1-6 7-5 6-4.
The eighth-seeded Jovanovski also came from a set down to beat Radwanska in the second round in Doha last week.
Jovanovski broke into the top 100 last July and by year’s end was the youngest person in the top 100.
Since turning 19 on New Year’s Eve, she has reached her first WTA semifinals in Sydney in January.
Sixth-seeded Ayumi Morita of Japan beat China’s Zhang Shuai 6-0 6-4.
Morita will play Anne Kremer of Luxembourg, who has reached her first WTA quarter-final in almost four years when she defeated Thai teen Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 7-6(4) 6-3.