British women progress in Osaka
October 11, 2012 14:11:01 UK
Heather Watson has been in scintillating form in 2012.Laura Robson and Heather Watson have continued their recent excellent form by winning through to the quarter-finals of the Japan Open in Osaka.
To add to a fine day for British tennis, Andy Murray easily beat Alexandr Dolgopolov to reach the last eight of the Shanghai Masters.
After a long barren period for British women's tennis, Robson and Watson have forced their way into the world's top 75, with both youngsters stepping up their performance levels in the last three months.
Robson is currently 56th in the world with Watson 15 places below her, while Anne Keothavong is still in the top 100 - she is ranked 82nd.
Eighteen-year-old British number one Robson beat China's Zhou Yi-Miao 6-4 6-4 while Watson, 20, came from a set down to defeat Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-7 6-2 6-3.
It was a particularly good victory for Watson as Medina Garrigues was seeded sixth at the tournament and she will face France's Pauline Parmentier in the last eight, while Robson comes up against Chang Kai-Chen of Chinese Taipei.
Watson is 1.61 to reach the semi-finals while eighth seed Robson can be backed at 1.28.
Meanwhile, defending champion Murray had little trouble beating Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-2 6-2 in the third round of the Shanghai Masters.
It was the Scot's first match in the tournament as he received a bye in the first round and a walkover in the second.
Murray, who is 4.00 to clinch his third consecutive Shanghai title, will face Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the last eight.
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