Sony Ericsson WTA Tour : 2006


Trio of Former World No.1s Move Into Quarterfinals

Kim Clijsters, Martina Hingis, Amélie Mauresmo and Patty Schnyder all advanced to the 2006 Australian Open quarterfinals on Monday afternoon, as fourth round action continued at Melbourne Park


Clijsters, ranked and seeded No.2 this fortnight, overcame a stiff challenge from No.15 seed Francesca Schiavone, inching past the feisty Italian 76(5) 64. The two players battled hard during the one-hour, 43-minute contest, with the first set being particularly competitive. The two traded breaks of serve in the first two games, and in the fifth game Clijsters saved 10 break points in a 10-deuce, 26-point game to hold for 3-2. The 22-year-old Belgian drew blood again in the eighth game, breaking for a 5-3 lead, but Schiavone broke back and ended up forcing a tie-break, where she built leads of 4-1 and 5-3. Clijsters tightened the screws at that important juncture, however, clawing back to 4-5 with a clutch forehand winner, going ahead 6-5 on two Schiavone backhand errors and sealing the first set with an impressive backhand down-the-line winner on her first set point. The two players stayed close through the second set as well, but it was Clijsters who gained the decisive break at 3-all, holding her serve the rest of the way to improve to 9-0 lifetime against the 25-year-old Italian in Tour matches.

Another former No.1 advancing to the quarterfinals was No.3 seed Amélie Mauresmo, an easy 61 61 winner over No.16 seed Nicole Vaidisova in the first match up on Rod Laver Arena. Mauresmo broke Vaidisova's serve in the very first game, and didn't relent throughout the 52-minute affair, hitting seven winners to just two unforced errors. The first set ended on a Vaidisova double fault, and the second set ended on a forehand return into the net, the 16-year-old Czech's 34th unforced error of the match. Mauresmo has now reached the quarterfinals in her last four trips to the Australian Open.



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