New York : World number two Caroline Wozniacki got some much-needed rest on Thursday when her New Haven Open quarter-final opponent Flavia Pennetta withdrew with a foot injury.
Wozniacki, who will be the top seed at the US Open next week, won a semi-final and final at the rain-hit Montreal Cup on Monday before racing to New Haven for her final Flushing Meadows tune-up.
Italian Pennetta was reluctant to pull out of the tournament but said she wanted to give herself every chance of playing at the US Open.
Fourth seed Elena Dementieva needed nearly three hours to tame sixth seed Marion Bartoli of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, while eighth seed Nadia Petrova romped past Australian second seed Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-1.
Maria Kirilenko came out on top of an all-Russian clash, thrashing former world number one Dinara Safina 6-3, 6-3.
In the men's quarter-finals, Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky toppled top seed Marco Baghdatis of Cyprus 5-7, 6-1, 7-6. The Netherlands' Thiemo de Bakker was an easy winner over Kazakhstan's Evgeny Korolev 6-4, 6-3 while 15th seed Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan outlasted Teymuraz Gabashvili of Russia 6-1, 3-6, 7-6.
results
Men Quarter-finals
Thiemo de Bakker (NED) bt Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) 6-4, 6-3; Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP x1), 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4); Denis Istomin (UZB) bt Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (10/8); Viktor Troicki (SRB) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-2, 6-3
Women
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) bt Dinara Safina (RUS) 6-3, 6-3; Nadia Petrova (RUS x8) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS x2) 6-2, 6-1; Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x1) bt Flavia Pennetta (ITA x7) walkover; Elena Dementieva (RUS x4) bt Marion Bartoli (FRA x6) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
