Jankovic Routs Bondarenko; Quarterfinal Line-Up Set

It was a perfect day for seeds at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix on Thursday, as all four of them moved into the quarterfinals with straight set wins in second round matches. Among them was Jelena Jankovic, who made an emphatic start to her week, having secured a return to the No.1 ranking a day earlier as Serena Williams lost in her opening match.
 
Jankovic, the No.2 seed and a recipient of a first round bye, had no trouble with Alona Bondarenko, crushing the Ukrainian in just an hour and two minutes, 62 60. It was Jankovic's ninth win in nine career meetings with Bondarenko, and the eighth she has won in straight sets (their first match, at 's-Hertogenbosch in June 2006, went to a third set tie-break).
 
Next Monday, October 6, Jankovic will displace Williams at No.1 in the world for her second non-consecutive week at the top spot, having spent her first there between August 11 and 17 earlier this year. Williams surrendered No.1 due to her opening round loss here to China's Li Na on Wednesday.
 
Jankovic wasn't the only seed to cruise into the final eight on Thursday. No.3 seed Dinara Safina faced some late resistance but managed to beat qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova, 61 76(6); No.6 seed Venus Williams beat another qualifier, Kateryna Bondarenko, 64 62; and No.7 seed Vera Zvonareva routed Marion Bartoli, 62 60.
 
In the only match between unseeded players, Nadia Petrova beat Patty Schnyder, 64 61. Schnyder had taken out No.5 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first round.
 
The first three doubles quarterfinals were also on the menu. No.3 seeds Victoria Azarenka and Agnieszka Radwanska and wildcards Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Schnyder both won in straight sets; No.4 seeds the Williams sisters gave Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka a walkover, after Serena was forced to pull out of the tournament with a left ankle injury.
 
All four singles quarterfinals and the remaining doubles quarterfinal are all on Friday's schedule at the $650,000, Tier II stop

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