P – Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is vowing to burst Samantha Stosur’s bubble after setting up a showdown with the in-form Australian at the Rogers Cup in Toronto.
Stosur extended her winning streak to seven matches with a 1-6 6-2 6-3 second-round comeback victory over Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro on Wednesday.
Sixth-seeded Kvitova beat home hope Eugenie Bouchard 6-3 6-2 in the other late match before targeting Stosur in their third-round match-up.
“Tough first match tonight but happy I’m through! Playing Sam tomorrow, hoping for revenge after Rome :),” Kvitova tweeted.
Stosur, who is continuing her hot hardcourt run after collecting the title in Carlsbad last week, edged the seventh-ranked Kvitova in three sets on clay in May.
It was Stosur’s first triumph over the power-hitting Czech in five meetings and a second win would be another big confidence booster just two weeks out from the US Open in New York.
Top-seeded Serena Williams, Stosur’s vanquished final opponent at Flushing Meadows two years ago, is also through to the last 16 in Toronto.
The American downed Italy’s Francesca Schiavone 6-3 6-2 in her tournament opener.
Coming off a victory three weeks ago at the Swedish Open, Williams set up a third-round match against 13th-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium.
Flipkens beat Dutchwoman Kiki Bertens 7-5 3-6 6-2.
Earlier, Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined her since her major victory, beating American qualifier Lauren Davis 6-0 6-3.
“I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself because the last two times I played in Toronto I lost in the first round,” said Bartoli, who is seeded seventh.
“So I just wanted to enjoy myself on the court and try my hardest. Obviously being able to win 6-love, 6-3 was pretty good for me.”
Chinese fourth seed Li Na defeated Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-4, fifth-seeded Sara Errani of Italy beat Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-2 7-6 (7-2) and Frenchwoman Alize Cornet defeated Russian Maria Kirilenko 7-5 7-5.
America’s Sloane Stephens also advanced to the third round, beating Germany’s Mona Barthel 6-3 4-6 6-3.