OSAKA, Japan (AP) — Third-seeded Samantha Stosur beat Swiss qualifier Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 6-4, 6-2 at the Japan Open on Wednesday to reach her first quarterfinals since her title run in Carlsbad in August.
Stosur lost serve twice but broke Bencic five times and will next face either Kimiko Date-Krumm or Misaki Doi.
Stosur won in Osaka in 2009 and was runner-up in 2011 and a semifinalist in 2012.
In other second-round matches, fifth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Canada overpowered Luksika Kumkhum of Thailand 6-2, 6-2 while local wild card Kurumi Nara beat eighth-seeded Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 7-5, 7-6 (4).
Czech qualifier Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Vania King of the United States 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, and will meet Bouchard next.
