Cibulkova, Strycova line up for Wuhan Open quarterfinal

Barbora Strycova won the first of two rain-delayed matches originally scheduled for Wednesday, recovering from a set down to defeat Guangzhou Open runner-up Jelena Jankovic 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 in the Wuhan Open here on Thursday.

The Czech will play No. 10 seed and WTA Finals darkhorse Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals as the Romanian roared past US Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova from the Cezch Republic 6-2, 6-2.

"It's great to have the roof because we got to play," the Czech veteran said in her on-court interview. "I'm very happy to be through to the quarterfinals. It was a very tough match for me, with a lot of ups and downs, but I'm happy to get the win," she added.

Strycova had reached the round of 16 in her last two Wuhan appearances, but was in trouble early on against the Serb, a former world No. 1, who overcame an injury-prone season to reach the final at the Guangzhou International Women's Open just last week.

"You have to find the motivation all the time if you want to compete and keep on a good level. The first set wasn't really the way I wanted to play. I didn't move well, so I started to move better, put more balls into the court. That helped me get my rhythm."

Strycova overcame a few moments of frustration to level the match, but Jankovic made a battle of it in the end, saving a match point in the 10th game of the decider. Ultimately, she succumed on Strycova's second match point after two hours and 21 minutes.

"At the end, I was able to win a few more points than her, and that made the difference," Strycova said.

In contrast to Strycova's hard work, Cibulkova charged past Pliskova in an hour and 15 minutes, dropping just four games to keep alive her hopes of making to the WTA Finals for the first time.

"This was my first match on Center Court against such a big-serving player. It was tough to play but I was really focused, mentally ready, and playing my good tennis. I'm really happy to be into the quarterfinals here," said Cibulkova.

The roof remained closed in Wuhan, even as the rain abated on the courts.

"Last week, I played in Tokyo in similar conditions, and I play at home under a closed stadium. We're professionals, so we have to be prepared to play in any situation," added Cibulkova.

Cibulkova will play Strycova for the first time, as she aims to earn as many points as possible to remain in the top eight on the oad to Singapore leaderboard by weekend.

"It's going to be another tough match, a different one. Two matches in one day isn't easy, but I want to be ready for it." Endit