Sharapova, Jankovic avoid Qatar upset bug

DOHA, Qatar, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Maria Sharapova advanced but a trio of high seeds failed to get past Thursday's second round at the $2.5 million Qatar Open tennis tournament.

Sharapova, seeded fourth, improved to 11-0 on the year with a solid 6-2, 6-2 rout of Tamarine Tanasugarn. She next faces Carolina Wozniacki, who was a 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 winner over Anabel Medina Garrigues in her second-round match Thursday.

But the tournament is over for top-seeded Ana Ivanovic, second-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 6 Venus Williams. Ivanovic was unable to play because of an ankle injury, giving 16th-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska a walkover victory. The other two women were ousted in straight sets.

Kuznetsova fell to 15th-seeded Sybille Bammer, 6-3, 7-6 (10-8), and Williams was a 6-3, 6-3 loser to Dominika Cibulkova.

Third-seeded Jelena Jankovic joined Sharapova in Friday's quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Ai Sugiyama but 11th-seeded Dinara Safina was defeated by Vera Zvonareva, 7-5, 6-3, and No. 12 Shahar Peer lost, 6-1, 6-3, with Na Li.

The eventual Doha winner will collect a first-place prize of $414,000.