Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki handed 16-year-old Russian wild card Anastasia Potapova a 6-0, 6-1 rout at the St Petersburg WTA event on Thursday in her first match since her maiden Grand Slam triumph.
The world number one, seeking her 29th singles title, swept to victory over the world number 235 in just 67 minutes and next faces sixth seeded Russian, Daria Kasatkina.
“I had to be well prepared for today’s match against a former junior Wimbledon champion even though she’s still so young,” Wozniacki said.
Defending champion Kristina Mladenovic of France, seeded fourth, ended a 15-match losing streak with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova to also reach the quarter-finals.
“Finally this series is over,” said 24-year-old Mladenovic.
“This win means a lot for me and I’m very pleased with the way I played, the way I handled my nerves and kept on going and fighting like I always do.”
