World No. 1 Martina Hingis and Spain's Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario advanced to a quarter-final showdown with straight-set victories today at a $565,000 WTA clay court event.
Hingis defeated Czech veteran Henrieta Nagyova 6-1, 6-3, while Sanchez, the seventh seed, ousted Argentina's Paola Suarez 6-2, 6-4.
Hingis seeks her first title here, an event which has been won by every other World No. 1 over the past two decades. Hingis has won three titles this season and has a 35-4 match record.
Sanchez, a two-time winner here, captured her first title since 1999 last week in Portugal.
Third seed Elena Dementieva, who beat fellow Russian Elena Likhovtseva 6-4, 6-3. Dementieva has won 12 of her past 15 matches to reach her first WTA final last month in Mexico, an Indian Wells Masters Series quarter-final and the Miami Masters Series semi-finals.
Fourth seed Amanda Coetzer of South Africa beat Yugoslavia's Delena Dokic 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 while sixth seed Amelie Mauresmo of France eliminated American Lisa Raymond 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-3. AFP