Impressive Lisicki into last eight

The conqueror of French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsva takes another prize scalp by overcoming the ninth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki.

LONDON // Sabine Lisicki, the promising German teenager, continues to earn rave reviews here. The conqueror of French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsva took another prize scalp by overcoming the ninth-seeded Dane Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-4 to reach the last eight. The world No 41 admitted to being surprised with her impressive run at the tournament. "I think the key was the very first match [against the 32nd seed Anna Chakvetadze] where I was actually two points away of losing the match and I turned it around.

"After that I really started to play better and better and to believe that I can do well." Lisicki is one of two unseeded players in the last eight, having joined Italy's Francesca Shiavone who accounted for the 26th seed Virginie Razzano 6-2, 7-6 to earn a meeting with Elena Dementieva, the fourth seeded Russian, who has yet to drop a set in the tournament. Dementieva, who won the first five games in next to no time, expected a tougher match than the 6-1, 6-3 outcome against Russian compatriot Elina Vesnina, whom she had beaten in the final of this year's Auckland tournament.

Dementieva, a former winner of the Dubai Championships, was not generally regarded as a grass court exponent until reaching the semi-finals here last year and now she wants more of the same. It was not so easy for the world No 1 Dinara Safina as she came from a set down to beat the French 17th seed Amelie Mauresmo 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. The Russian came from a break down in the final set to triumph.

The closest match-up on paper in both of yesterday's singles line-ups was between Victoria Azaranka, of Belarus, ranked eighth in the world and Russia's Nadia Petrova, ranked 10 and it just about went to form, Azarenka prevailing 7,6, 2-6, 6-3. [e-mail]