No. 7 Agnieszka Radwanska rallies to beat Misaki Doi at Stanford
STANFORD, Calif. (AP)—Agnieszka Radwanska started slow and finished fast, beating qualifier Misaki Doi 1–6, 6–2, 6–0 on Thursday in the second round of the Bank of the West Classic.
The second-seeded and seventh-ranked Radwanska, playing for the first time since the Wimbledon semifinals, was down 0–2 in the second set before rattling off 12 consecutive games to set up a meeting with fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber in Friday's quarterfinals.
“It was just a weird match with such a slow start and then winning 12 games in a row,” Radwanska said. “The ball was flying a lot and I really didn't practice much the last few days. For me, it was a new start, new courts, new balls and a new tournament.”
The 14th-ranked Kerber, a finalist at Stanford last year, beat Ana Konjuh 6–3, 6–4. Fourth-seeded Karolina Pliskova topped qualifier Kimiko Date-Krumm, at 44 the oldest player on the tour, 7–5, 6–2.
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“She plays so cleverly,” Pliskova said. “I get the feeling she could play the next five years. I was expecting a tough match and the first set was really tough.”
The match between Kerber and Radwanska features the past two runner-ups at Stanford and the only quarterfinal involving two seeded players.
