Wozniacki reaches Aegon quarters

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark eased into the quarter-finals with a 6-3, 6-3 win over American Sloane Stephens in the  Aegon International.

Fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany saved two match points to overcome Alize Cornet of France 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 in two hours, 26 minutes, and Camila Giorgi of Italy struggled to follow up her defeat of former number one Victoria Azarenka, taking just 10 minutes less and saving a match point to defeat British wild card Johanna Konta 1-6, 7-5, 7-5.

“I played well out there,” Wozniacki said. “Sloane, especially in the second set, played really, really well, and really went for her shots. Didn’t make it easy for me to finish it off. I held my composure and I served well. I got a lot of returns deep.”

In the men’s draw, top-seed Richard Gasquet celebrated his 28th birthday by beating Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals.

The Frenchman, who won the event in 2005 and 2006 when it was held in Nottingham, has struggled with a back injury and is playing only his third tournament since losing to Roger Federer in Miami in March.

After missing the entire clay-court season leading into Roland Garros, he reached the third round in Paris before losing his opening match on grass last week in Halle.

Men’s fourth seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain was defeated 6-2, 7-5 by Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, and other winners included Martin Klizan of Slovakia and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France.