Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams will have to wait for a 50th career WTA title after bowing out in the third round of the claycourt tournament in Charleston Thursday. Williams, the third seed, had put together back-to-back wins for the first time since lifting her 49th title in Taiwan in February, but was toppled 7-6 (7-5), 2-6, 6-4 by Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva. The 35-year-old American joined second-seeded Swiss Belinda Bencic, fourth-seeded Lucie Safarova and sixth-seeded Andrea Petkovic out of the tournament. But top-seeded Angelique Kerber, the reigning Australian Open champion, powered into the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over qualifier Kristina Kucova. Kerber fired 35 winners and converted seven of her 10 break point chances, staying steady in difficult, windy conditions. "It was a really tricky match," she said. "It was really windy and it was a completely different condition than before. I played two days ago in the night session and it was windy, cold." "I'm really happy to win the match," added Kerber, who said she was feeling at home on the green clay of Charleston, South Carolina. Kerber next faces Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu, who saved a match point en route to a 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Puerto Rico's Monica Puig. Russian Elena Vesnina, who ousted Bencic in the second round, reached the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Spain's Lourdes Dominguez. Vesnina next plays Germany's Laura Siegemund, who followed up her second-round win over eighth-seeded Madison Keys with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Croatia's Mirjana Lucic-Baroni. Fifth-seeded Italian Sara Errani advanced to a meeting with Putintseva, downing Australian Samantha Stosur 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Seventh-seeded Sloane Stephens of the United States defeated Aussie Daria Gavrilova 6-4, 6-3 to book a meeting with Russian Daria Kasatkina, a 6-0, 6-4 winner over American Louisa Chirico. Sock advances in Houston Defending champion Jack Sock beat Australia's Matthew Barton 6-2, 7-6 (5) Thursday to reach the quarterfinals in the US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston. The fourth-seeded American won last year at River Oaks for his first ATP Tour title. He will face seventh-seeded Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus, a 6-4, 6-3 winner over Spain's Fernando Verdasco. Third-seeded Feliciano Lopez of Spain also advanced, beating Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 7-6 (4), 6-1. Lopez will face Tim Smyczek, a 6-2, 6-4 winner over Donald Young in an all-American match. Fellow Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey reached the quarterfinals Wednesday. The top-seeded Isner will face South Korea's Chung Hyeon, and the fifth-seeded Querrey will play Argentina's Juan Monaco. Garcia-Lopez in last 8 Top-seeded Guillermo Garcia-Lopez reached the Grand Prix Hassan II quarterfinals after rallying to beat Spanish countryman Nicolas Almagro 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Thursday. Almagro broke twice in the first set, but Garcia-Lopez took the only break of the second to level. Although Almagro had six aces in the decider, he was broken again and could not force a chance on Garcia-Lopez's serve. Garcia-Lopez next faces eighth-seeded Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic, who fired 15 aces as he beat Croatian qualifier Nikola Mektic 6-7 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (5) in a match lasting three hours. Meanwhile, No. 7 Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain had seven aces and did not face a break point against Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan in a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win. Belgian coach Hoferlin dies at 49 Julien Hoferlin, a former Belgian Davis Cup captain who also helped coach the British team, died Friday at the age of 49 following treatment for cancer, Belgian public broadcaster RTBF said on its website. Hoferlin, who worked for RTBF as a consultant and had coached with Britain's Lawn Tennis Association until 2014, underwent major surgery on a brain tumor shortly before the two teams he had been involved with met in the Davis Cup final in Ghent last November. Britain led by Andy Murray won the tie against a Belgian team that featured Hoferlin's charge Steve Darcis. "A coach, a friend, and more besides," Darcis wrote on Twitter after the announcement. "We'll miss you Juju. Love u!!!"— Agencies
