JOIN USTommy Robredo shocked world number one Novak Djokovic at the Cincinnati Masters, but Roger Federer avoided an upset again Frenchman Gael Monfils.
Spain’s Robredo, seeded 16th in the US Open tune-up, sent top-seeded Djokovic packing 7-6 (8/6), 7-5.
Second-seeded Federer, a five-time Cincinnati champion, held off Monfils 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Thursday.
He booked a tough quarterfinal against eighth-seeded Scot Andy Murray, who battled more than two hours against the huge serve of John Isner, finally dispatching the American 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). Robredo next faces sixth-seeded compatriot David Ferrer — a 7-5, 6-0 winner over Mikhail Youzhny.
Australian Open champion Stan Wawrinka, the third seed, rallied to beat Croatian Marin Cilic 3-6, 6-0, 6-1. He’ll play France’s Julien Benneteau, who beat Jerzy Janowicz 7-5, 6-1.
Milos Raonic defeated American Steve Johnson 6-7 (7-9), 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) and next faces Italian 15th seed Fabio Fognini. Fognini beat Lu Yen-Hsun of Taiwan 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Sharapova, Halep through
In women’s action in the combined ATP and WTA event, defending champion Serena Williams continued her march through the draw, beating Italian 13th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-2.
Williams next plays eighth seed Jelena Jankovic, who beat Sloane Stephens 7-6 (7-4), 6-4. Also through was world number two and second seed Simona Halep, a 6-4, 7-5 winner against Czech Lucie Safarova. Halep earned a mouth-watering rematch with fifth-seeded Sharapova, who beat fellow Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 7-6 (7-2). Ukrainian teenager Elina Svitolina defeated Spain’s number 15 Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. She’ll next face former world number one Ana Ivanovic, a 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 winner over Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland cruised past Germany’s Sabine Lisicki 6-1, 6-1 and will take on Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki, a 7-5, 6-2 winner over sixth-seeded German Angelique Kerber.
Sania-Cara lose
India’s campaign ended after Sania Mirza and Cara Black went down to Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain and Kazakhstan’s Yaroslave Shvedova in their women’s doubles second round match here.
The fourth seeded Indo-Zimbabwean pair lost 3-6 3-6 in round two.