TENNIS – Sabine Lisicki, who reached the Wimbledon final back in 2013, beat Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6(7) 6-4 one day after setting a WTA record by hitting 27 aces one match. Diego Sampaolo
The German did not convert her first 3 set points in the 12th game of the first set before saving three set points in the tie-break. Lisicki won the breaker with 9-7 points before going up a break in the third game of the second set.
Rybarikova saved a match point at 5-3 and held her serve in the longest game of the match
“It’s a good preparation for Wimbledon to win tight matches like this. It gives me a lot of confidence”, said Lisicki.
Lisicki will face 2013 Birmingham champion Daniela Hantuchova who beat Michelle De Brito 6-4 7-5. Lisiki and Hantuchova will play a re-match of the 2011 Birmingham final won by Lisicki. Karolina Pliskova fought back from a set down to defeat Great Britain’s Johanna Konta 3-6 6-3 6-4 in a match delayed by rain the day before. Pliskova later on that day went on to beat Zarina Diyas with 6-2 6-2.
Pliskova will face Carla Suarez Navarro who beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3 6-4. The Spanish player has qualified for her 11th quarterfinal this year.
Simona Halep beat Klara Koukalova 6-1 6-3 setting up a quarterfinal against Kristina Mladenovic who beat Barbora Strykova 7-6(4) 6-2. Halep hit 14 winners to 12 unforced errors and won 79 percent of her first serve points.
“I expected a tough match because she plays very hard on grass with her type of game. It’s difficult to play her on this surface but I didn’t really want to think about that”, said Halep.
Angelique Kerber, winner in Birmingham in 2007 and runner-up in 2006 and 2012, defeated Jelena Jankovic 6-4 6-2 setting up a quarterfinal against Katerina Siniakova who beat Christina Mchale 6-4 6-0. Kerber broke to love in the 9th game of the first set. She got two more breaks at the start of the second set and in the fifth game.
