Kvitova wins in straight sets in Austria

LINZ, Austria, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- No. 1-seeded Petra Kvitova rolled to a straight-set victory Thursday in second-round action at the Generali Ladies Linz tennis tournament in Austria.

While the other seeded players on Thursday's schedule all battled through lengthy three-set matches, Kvitova defeated Patricia Mayr-Achleitner 6-2, 6-3 in 76 minutes.

Kvitova dropped serve just once and had Mayr-Achleitner on the defensive with a total of 16 break-point chances. She converted five of them.

No. 3-seeded Jelena Jankovic won nearly two-thirds of the points over the last two sets of a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Anne Keothavong. Seventh-seeded Dominika Cibulkova also came from behind before topping Sara Errani 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-1, and eighth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova defeated Ksenia Pervak 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

Unseeded Lucie Safarova had a relatively easy 6-4, 6-2 decision over Alberta Brianti in her second-round match.

Anastasia Rodionova advanced to the quarterfinals when ninth-seeded Flavia Pennetta was unable to play. Pennetta was the seventh player in Linz to either retire or give her opponent a walkover due to illness or injury.

Kvitova will go against Hantuchova in one quarterfinal while Jankovic plays Evgeniya Rodina, Safarova faces Sorana Cirstea and Cibulkova meets Rodionova in the other matches Friday.