Razzano ends Sania's impressive run

LOS ANGELES, August 9: Fourth seed Nadia Petrova of Russia overwhelmed Katarina Srebotnik 6-1, 6-2 and will play France's Virginie Razzano, who ended Sania Mirza's impressive run 6-1, 7-6.

Mirza lost her temper after the chair umpire overruled an apparent winner in the second point of the tiebreaker that she finally lost 7-6.

"I have short temper, but we are all human," said Mirza, who pulled out of next week's tournament in Toronto to rest after playing four weeks in a row.

Maria Sharapova overcame a stern challenge from Michaella Krajicek to reach the Los Angeles Classic quarter-finals with a 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 victory on Thursday.

The top seed needed nearly three hours to see off the 18-year-old Dutchwoman, losing her serve nine times in the match.

Krajicek also had trouble serving into the wind and sun and Sharapova broke her 10 times.

"It felt like a break fest," Sharapova said. "Back and forth. I felt like I was going to the Death Eaters and they were going to eat me up."

Krajicek, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals, got up a break at 4-3 in the third set, but was immediately broken back to 4-4.

"I might have missed a few opportunities, but against a player like Maria, it's tough because she gives you just a few," Krajicek said.

Sharapova held off two break points with forehand winners and clinched the match on her third match point with a crosscourt backhand service return winner.

"It's good to be in different situations where you have to pull it out and didn't play your best," said Sharapova, who next faces holder and fellow Russian Elena Dementieva. She advanced when fifth seed Daniela Hantuchova retired with a respiratory infection trailing 6-3, 4-1.

Hantuchova became the third player to be struck by illness at the tournament, second seed Jelena Jankovic and Greece's Eleni Daniilidou suffering similar ailments.

"I didn't think I could play this morning but it's not nice for the fans when the players don't even try," Hantuchova said.

Third seed Ana Ivanovic advanced easily with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Czech Lucie Safarova and will face Russia's Maria Kirilenko, who crushed Argentina's Gisela Dulko 6-3, 6-4.