MADRID, May 21 (UPI) -- Top-seeded Chanda Rubin managed Wednesday to avoid the upset bug that has claimed three of the top six seeds at the Madrid Open.
Rubin, who had a bye in the first round, moved into the quarterfinals Wednesday with a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory over Ivana Lisjak of Croatia.
Ranked eighth in the world, Rubin is making her fourth appearance in Madrid, having improved her performance each time. Last year, she lost to fellow American Monica Seles in the finals.
On Tuesday, third-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain was upset and was joined on the sidelines Wednesday by No. 2 Alexandra Stevenson of the United States and No. 6 Magui Serna of Spain.
Stevenson, who also received a first-round bye, was ousted by Emmanuelle Gagliardi of Switzerland, 6-2, 6-4, and Serna was bounced by Spain's Maria Antonia Sanchez Lorenzo, 6-3, 6-2.
Three other seeds reached the final eight. No. 4 Clarisa Fernandez of Argentina routed Spain's Conchita Martinez-Granados, 6-1, 6-3; No. 5 Paola Suarez, also of Argentina, got past Colombia's Fabriola Zulaga, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2); and No. 7 Iroda Tulyaganova of Uzbekistan eliminated American Amy Frazier, 6-4, 6-1.
In matches involving unseeded players, Austria's Barbara Schett toppled Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4; and Zimbabwe's Carla Black continued her run with a 6-0, 3-6, 7-5 victory over Angelique Widjaja of Indonesia.
Black upset Martinez in the first round on Tuesday.
