Hsieh reaches Malaysian Open quarter-finals

KUALA LUMPUR: Second seed and defending champion Hsieh Su Wei of Taiwan overcame fatigue, leg cramps and two opponents Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the rain-delayed BMW Malaysian Open.

Hsieh, who ranks world number 23 and is hoping to become the first player to successfully defend the title, started her day by beating Kurumi Nara of Japan 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-4 in a match held over from Wednesday.

She was leading 4-3 when the match was halted Wednesday due to rain. She needed another two hours to complete her first round match Thursday and was back on court three and a half hours later to face Zhang Shuai of China.

Hsieh, who needed two medical times against Nara, was energised by her break and romped past Zhang 6-3, 6-3 in 73 minutes.

The 27-year-old will now face wildcard entry Bethanie Mattek-Sands, who stormed into the quarterfinals when she crushed Duan Ying-Ying of China 6-1, 6-4. (AFP)