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February 14, 2014

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Li advances in first match since Aussie triumph

Top-seeded Li Na, playing her first match since winning the Australian Open last month, beat Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 in the second round at the Qatar Open on Wednesday in Doha.

Third-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic outlasted American Venus Williams 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7) in a match lasting 2 hours, 32 minutes.

Li raced to a 5-0 lead in the opening set but couldn’t keep her momentum going in the second when, at 5-5, Rybarikova won the next two games. With a 3-2 lead in the decider, Li won the final three games of the match.

The 48th-ranked Williams wasted a match point in the third set tiebreaker.

“I put myself in a great position to win the match, which for me is the positive that I take out of this match,” said Williams, who was leading the set 4-1 and had three break points on Kvitova’s serve in the sixth game, but couldn’t secure the 5-1 advantage.

Kvitova refused to give in.

“I felt more confident on the court and was really fighting hard,” Kvitova said.

Serving for the match at 5-4, Kvitova squandered one match point at 40-30, and then double-faulted away the game.

Second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska defeated Romanian Sorana Cirstea 7-5, 6-0.

Angelique Kerber (6), Caroline Wozniacki (8), Ana Ivanovic (9) and Samantha Stosur (12) all lost.


 


 

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