Share

Kerber books quarters spot

Brisbane - Third-seeded Angelique Kerber secured the first spot in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International with a 6-3, 7-5 win over Daria Gavrilova on Tuesday.

Varvara Lepchenko also advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 win over fellow American Madison Keys, who had ousted Australian Open finalist Dominika Cibulkova in the first round.

In a men's first-round upset, Lukasz Kubot of Poland beat fifth-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa 7-6 (3), 6-4.

At the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, Venus Williams made short work of her first match of the new year by sweeping past Slovakia's Jana Cepelova 6-4, 6-0 in 52 minutes.

Williams, seeded third behind Caroline Wozniacki and Sara Errani, appeared fit and served 10 aces.

The seven-time major winner reached the final of the Auckland hard-court tournament last year.

"It was very nice," Williams said. "I was welcomed when I came on the court and I felt like I left off right from last year. I felt comfortable right away."

Top-seeded Wozniacki had to work hard to subdue qualifier Julia Glushko of Israel 6-3, 6-2.

Urzula Radwanska beat former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 7-5 and another qualifier, Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, toppled fifth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 3-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

At the Hopman Cup in Perth, the Czech Republic beat Italy 3-0, with Lucie Safarova beating Flavia Pennetta 7-5, 6-3 and Adam Pavlasek scoring an upset win over Fabio Fognini in the men's singles. Fognini later withdrew before the mixed doubles.

Americans Serena Williams and John Isner were playing Canada's Eugenie Bouchard and Vasek Pospisil in a night match in Group A.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE