The fourth round ended on Monday, and the Williams sisters will clash in the quarters, and Dinara Safina also won her match and will face Flavia Pennetta.
Safina won her match to Anna-Lena Groenefeld in straight sets. Safin had no trouble with the qualifier, ousting the German 75 60.
"Maybe I didn't play my best but I made it through; that's the most important thing," said Safina, who admitted the last few months have begun catching up with her. "Now I have a day off. Hopefully I can be 100% for my next match."
"It was very tough for both of us because it was so windy," Pennetta said about the match she won to Amelie Mauresmo in the fourth round. "I was just trying to put my first serves in and not go for too much. But I think Amélie was making a lot of mistakes today. She didn't play her best tennis at all and I was very focused on my game, and I think that's probably why I won."
"I think a lot of the reasons for the way the match turned out came from me," Mauresmo said. "The conditions were pretty windy out there today. She played well, of course. As for me, this is definitely something we'll try to analyze and work on for the next tournaments. I'll definitely be working on some things."
"She's in good shape; this summer she won two tournaments, reached another final, and now the quarterfinals here," said Pennetta, who is 0-4 lifetime against Safina. "I'll have to serve well. My first serve is going to be important, and also my returns. But I'm trying not to think about it yet."
"She's in good shape; this summer she won two tournaments, reached another final, and now the quarterfinals here," said Pennetta, who is 0-4 lifetime against Safina. "I'll have to serve well. My first serve is going to be important, and also my returns. But I'm trying not to think about it yet."
The Williams sisters won their matches easily; No. 7 seed Venus beating No. 9 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, 61 63; while No. 4 seed Serena beat Severine Bremond, a wildcard, 62 62.
"Obviously she's a very good player and in the second set she raised the level of her game, trying to attack me more, move in and play more aggressive shots," Venus said about the match with Radwanska. "That was smart of her. She got a break of serve and had some opportunities, but fortunately I was able to get them right back and win."The sisters will play together for the 17th time, and ther head-to-head results so far are 8-8.
"It's tough to play her because she is so good," Venus said about Serena. "I would love to win this championship. I have to meet her in the quarterfinals, and that will be a huge milestone to get by her. That's how I see it, as trying to win the tournament."
"It sucked that it can't be a final - it's just disappointing to be so soon," Serena said. "I feel like I can win the tournament if I play my best tennis. I don't think I've played my best yet. So I'm going to try to do that. And whoever wins this will be going on to the semis and fighting."
