Mladenovic beats top-seeded Muguruza to reach SAR quarters

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MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) — Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic upset top-seeded Garbine Muguruza of Spain 7-6- (4), 7-6 (6) to reach the quarterfinals of the Grand Prix SAR on Wednesday, while second-seeded Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland reached the last eight with a hard-fought 7-6 (3), 6-3 win against Tatjana Maria.

With both players dropping serve five times, the 59th-ranked Mladenovic edged No. 20 Muguruza — the highest ranking player in the tournament — 5-4 in aces and next plays another Spaniard, Laura Arruabarrena.

Bacsinszky, who has had a breakthrough start to the year, struggled on her serve, but she also pressured her opponent's, breaking the German player five times. She improved to 25-3 and next faces seventh-seeded Slovakian, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.

Third-seeded Flavia Pennetta needed well over two hours to labor past 145th-ranked German Laura Siegemund 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 in a chaotic match featuring 12 breaks of serve and 36 break-point chances. Pennetta, who saved 16 of 21 chances on her serve, next faces Hungarian Timea Babos, who beat Brazilian qualifier Teliana Pereira 6-0, 6-7 (5), 6-4.

Fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine also advanced by beating American player Christina McHale 7-5, 6-3.

In the other second-round matches, Arruabarrena downed No. 8 Monica Puig of Puerto Rico 7-5, 6-2, while Schmiedlova advanced with a comeback 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 win against Argentine qualifier Maria Irigoyen.