Saint Petersburg Open: Defending champion Petra Kvitova outguns Victoria Azarenka in straight sets to reach quarter-finals

Saint Petersburg: Australian Open finalist Petra Kvitova continued her strong run of form with a straight-sets win over former world number one Victoria Azarenka to reach the quarter-finals in Saint Petersburg on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_4336751” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Petra Kvitova in action at St Petersburg. Image courtesy: Twitter/@Formula_TX[/caption] Two-time Wimbledon champion Kvitova, who rose to world number two after her Melbourne final loss to Naomi Osaka last Saturday, prevailed 6-2, 7-6 (7/3). She led 5-1 in the second set and missed two match points before ending an Azarenka comeback in a tie-break. “I really wanted to finish (the match) earlier, but unfortunately I had to fight back in the second set and then I did quite well in the tie-break,” said Kvitova. Two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka, who has tumbled down the rankings since the birth of her son Leo and an ensuing custody battle, has still not reached a WTA final since winning the 2016 Miami Open. In the quarter-finals, Kvitova will face eighth-seeded Donna Vekic of Croatia, who cruised past lucky loser Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 6-3. Elsewhere, Russian veteran Vera Zvonareva battled back from a set down to beat fifth seed Julia Goerges of Germany 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 as she looks to rediscover the form which took her to the 2010 Wimbledon and US Open finals. The 34-year-old, now ranked 97th, will next face third seed Daria Kasatkina, who is yet to play a match in the tournament having enjoyed an opening-round bye before advancing after Maria Sharapova pulled out with a shoulder injury.