PARIS (AP) — Eighth-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium comfortably beat Yvonne Meusburger 6-1, 6-3 at the Open GDF Suez on Thursday to set up a quarterfinal match against top-seeded Maria Sharapova of Russia.
Flipkens needed only one hour to wrap up the victory against the Austrian player, converting all four of her break points.
Elina Svitolina of Ukraine and Germany’s Andrea Petkovic also advanced easily.
Svitolina beat Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan 6-1, 6-2 and next plays either third-seeded Sara Errani or Karin Knapp — the Italians were playing their match later Thursday — while Petkovic beat Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic 6-4, 6-2.
Petkovic next faces either Frenchwoman Alize Cornet or lucky loser Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, who replaced second-seeded Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic after she pulled out because of a sore throat.
