LINZ, Austria (AP) Top-seeded Angelique Kerber and No. 2 Sloane Stephens reached the quarterfinals of the Generali Ladies in contrasting styles on Thursday.
Kerber downed Alexandra Cadantu of Romania 6-1, 6-0 in just 50 minutes, while Stephens needed 2 hours to defeat Andrea Petkovic of Germany 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-3.
Kerber was broken while serving for the first set but was otherwise hardly challenged by the 72nd-ranked Cadantu, who scored just eight points in total on her own serve.
"I felt really well on court," the 10th-ranked German said. "I was very relaxed and played well from the start."
Kerber is one win short of securing the eighth and final spot at the season-ending WTA Championships in Istanbul. She takes on Patricia Mayr-Achleitner in the quarterfinals. The Austrian missed two match points at 5-3 in the second set before defeating Maryna Zanevska of Ukraine 6-1, 6-7 (1), 6-4.