Petkovic Breaks Wozniacki's Dominance

© Getty ImagesPetkovic said that her game plan was to 'mix it up'.

Andrea Petkovic continues to ride the wave of her career-best form, upsetting World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 today  in the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open. Continuing her best performance at the Miami tournament, the No. 21 seed advances to the quarter-finals with the win. “I played well… it was not like I played unbelievable,” said Petkovic.

 “It was more that I was able to stick to my game plan and I was playing clever.  I think this was the key to the match.”

This loss ends Wozniacki’s streak of wins at the last five WTA Premier Mandatory/Premier 5 tournaments, the latest at Indian Wells. The Dane reached the quarter-finals of Miami in 2009 and 2010 but is yet to make a breakthrough at Crandon Park.

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“There’s very good players out there, and I cannot win every time,” said Wozniacki after her loss. “Sometimes when you lose, you realize you still have somewhere to work to do, you can still improve, and you go back on the practice court and come back even better.”

Petkovic held serve for the first game of the third set and then broke Wozniacki for a 2-0 lead. At 3-2, Petkovic and Wozniacki battled back and forth, bringing the score to deuce three times, but Wozniacki made a critical error to allow Petkovic her sixth break of the match. Wozniacki held one last game, but Petkovic served out the match, winning her final game to love.

In her post-match interview on court, Petkovic said she had a strict game plan for the match. “I tried to mix it up, and thankfully it worked,” she said, and celebrated with her characteristic "Petko dance."

Watch Highlights | Petkovic Interview 
 
The German, who reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final at this year’s Australian Open, next faces No. 6 seed Jelena Jankvoic, who won a routine match over Anabel Media Garrigues 6-1, 6-3. The Serb broke the Spaniard five times throughout the match and only lost her serve once.  A win over Petkovic would put Jankovic into the semi-finals for the first time since 2008, when she finished runner-up to Serena Williams.

Former Sony Ericsson Open champion Victoria Azarenka had her second three set win in as many nights, defeating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the quarter-finals. This is the second consecutive quarter-final appearance for the native of Belarus, who also advanced at Indian Wells.
 
The quarter-final match-up may pit the Miami champions from the last two years, as Azarenka will meet No. 2 seed Kim Clijsters if the Belgian defeats Ana Ivanovic. That match has been rescheduled to Tuesday after it was rained out last night.
 
Third seed Vera Zvonareva defeated Marion Bartoli 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Zvonareva is now 9-3 in meetings with Bartoli, who reached the final of Indian Wells last week. This win advances the Russian to the quarter-finals of Miami for the second time, though she made the semi-finals in 2008. Zvonareva will play Agniezska Radwanska next.

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Radwanska upset the No. 5 seed, Francesca Schiavone, winning six breaks and hitting 67 percent of her first serves to claim the match 6-0, 6-2. The Polish player reached the quarter-finals of Miami last year, and the 2011 Australian Open quarter-finals, where she lost to eventual champion Kim Clijsters.