Samantha Stosur reaches Japan Open quarters

Osaka: Third-seeded Samantha Stosur beat Swiss qualifier Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 6-4, 6-2 at the Japan Open on Wednesday to reach her first quarter-final since her title run in Carlsbad in August.

Stosur lost serve twice but broke Bencic five times and will next face either Kimiko Date-Krumm or Misaki Doi. Stosur won in Osaka in 2009 and was runner-up in 2011 and a semi-finalist in 2012.

In other second-round matches, fifth-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Canada overpowered Luksika Kumkhum of Thailand 6-2, 6-2 while local wild card Kurumi Nara beat eighth-seeded Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 7-5, 7-6 (4).

Czech qualifier Barbora Zahlavova Strycova defeated Vania King of the United States 2-6, 6-3, 6-1, and will meet Bouchard next.