Schnyder mixes up game to score second-round win in Stanford
CBSSports.com wire reports
STANFORD, Calif. -- Patty Schnyder mixed up her shots just enough to keep Alisa Kleybanova off balance. Doing the same against Serena Williams might be a much bigger task.
The fifth-seeded Schnyder of Switzerland displayed a nice array of power and finesse to get by the inconsistent Kleybanova 7-6 (8), 6-4 on Thursday in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic.
"Today, of course, I had a plan. It was just a matter of how many points she would allow me to do it," Schnyder said. "She was trying to dictate everything, whether winners or errors. ... I think she was so dominant it was tough for me to play. I had to mix it up a lot. It was her game plan to hit a lot of winners and also accept some errors."
Next up for Schnyder: a date with top-seeded Williams in Friday's quarterfinals. And Williams certainly will be eager to play better tennis after rallying from a set down to beat 15-year-old Michelle Larcher De Brito of Portugal 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday night in her opening match.
Williams has won seven of their previous 10 meetings, though Schnyder has taken two of the past three including one match in which Williams retired.
"It feels strange already the quarters," Schnyder said. "I like playing her. Obviously she's a great champion. Still, with her game, somehow I have found some ways to beat her in previous matches. She's the favorite and she does (well on) hard court. It's going to very tough."
In another second-round match Thursday, sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli of France trailed 4-1 in the final set before picking up her game to defeat England's Anne Keothavong 6-3, 1-6, 7-5. She screamed after ripping a backhand winner down the line on match point. Bartoli advances to face second-seeded Anna Chakvetadze of Russia in Friday's quarterfinals.
A surprising quarterfinalist is Samantha Stosur, who upset third-seeded Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-2 in Thursday's late match. Stosur was the "lucky loser" in this tournament, earning a spot in the main draw when Lindsay Davenport was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury.
Stosur will play qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada in the quarterfinals Friday, meaning a qualifier will reach the semifinals in this event for the first time since Maria Vento-Kabchi in 2003.
Wozniak already beat Stosur 6-4, 6-2 on Monday in a qualifying match.
"I haven't done that before. It's a good opportunity for me to redeem myself," Stosur said.
Stosur hit four aces in the final game -- all from the ad court and down the T of the service line -- to end it. Neither player held serve in the opening three games of the second set until Stosur won her serve for a 3-1 lead.
For the 24-year-old Stosur, ranked No. 107, this run is quite meaningful considering she returned in April after being sidelined since last September with Lyme disease. Her body is holding up just fine and she's on her best surface, hardcourts.
