Ninth seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia ousted veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm to be the first to book a Brisbane International women’s quarterfinal berth on Tuesday.
Former French Open semifinalist Cibulkova recovered from a second-set counterattack by the 43-year-old from Japan to emerge with a 6-3 1-6 6-3 win.
World No.23 Cibulkova booked a likely quarterfinal showdown with defending champion and 17-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams.
Top seed Williams takes on former world No.9 Andrea Petkovic in their second-round clash later on Tuesday.
World No.75 Date-Krumm was a sentimental favourite in her match as she looked to add another chapter to her stirring comeback story.
The former three-time Grand Slam semifinalist retired in 1996 after reaching a career-high No.4 ranking, only to return to the tour 12 years later.
She became the oldest woman in the Open era to reach Wimbledon’s third round in 2013 and is the second oldest to win a WTA singles title.
However Cibulkova – 19 years younger than her opponent – finally won over the crowd with a fighting display.
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Former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic has crushed Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-3 to cruise into the Brisbane International quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Serbian fourth seed made short work of world No.45 Svitolina – ranked 37 places lower than Jankovic.
The 28-year-old Jankovic remains on track for a semifinal showdown with world No.2 Victoria Azarenka.