BEIJING: Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki will replace Serena Williams as No. 1 when the new rankings are released Monday. Wozniacki, 20, will become the first Dane, male or female, to hold the top ranking after a 6-3, 6-2 win over Petra Kvitova at the China Open in Beijing Thursday. Ana Ivanovic delivered one of her best results of the season to set up a quarterfinal against Wozniacki. The Serb, a former No. 1, edged out seventh-seeded Elena Dementieva 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4) to reach only her fourth quarterfinal of the year. Second-seeded Vera Zvonareva dropped the first set against fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, but battled back for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 win. “Against a player as great as Maria, if you give her unforced errors she will take the opportunity,” said Zvonareva, who next plays Italian fifth seed Francesca Schiavone. “I kept trying to go for my shots but be more patient, and fight for every point.” Local fans had something to cheer when China's Li Na took just 47 minutes to see off Germany's Angelique Kerber, 6-2, 6-0. Li set up a quarterfinal meeting with Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia, who got a walkover when 13th-seeded Russian Nadia Petrova withdrew due to injury. Friday's other quarterfinal will see 15th seeded Israeli Shahar Peer face Switzerland's Timea Bacsinszky. In the men's draw, second-seeded Briton Andy Murray moved into the quarterfinals with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Albert Montanes of Spain. He next plays Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia, who eliminated Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine, 6-3, 7-6 (2). Robin Soderling of Sweden was tested on his way to a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win over Spain's Nicolas Almagro. The second seed fired 22 aces to Almagro's 18 on the way to beating him for the first time in three attempts. Up next for Soderling is Spain's David Ferrer, who racked up his 50th match victory of the season with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win over Taiwan's Lu Yen-hsun. Wozniacki was ecstatic after securing the top spot in women's ranking. “This is a real big step for me. To be the world No. 1 has always been a dream for me,” Wozniacki said in an on-court interview at the Beijing Tennis Center. “It doesn't feel like it's real.” Wozniacki is the 20th player to top the rankings since they began in 1975 and the third in the last two years to do so without having won a Grand Slam title, following Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic. The Dane said capturing a major title was her next target. “That would be like a dream come true,” she said. Wozniacki has won 11 career titles, five of them this year, and has lost once in her last 21 matches. She reached the US Open final last year, losing to Kim Clijsters. Her best Grand Slam result this season was also in New York, where she fell in the semifinals. The head of women's tennis described Wozniacki as “an inspiring young woman.” Serena, the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, has not played competitively since capturing her 13th Grand Slam title at the All England Club in July. The American has been sidelined by a cut on her foot but will make her return in Linz, Austria next week. Nadal, Roddick thru In Tokyo, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal showed beat Canadian qualifier Milos Raonic Thursday to join American second seed Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals of the Japan Open. The 24-year-old Spanish top seed, who completed a career Gland Slam by winning the US Open last month, faced 14 unstoppable aces but pulled off a break in each set to score a solid 6-4, 6-4 victory. “For me today it was a very big victory, because I won two break points out of two under heavy pressure,” said Nadal. “Because when you play a big server like today, you have to convert your chances. I had to do well to win the match today and I did. I had only two games that I didn't play well, but for the rest, I played well. “I know he is a young and dangerous player because of his serve. He can be a very good player,” added Nadal, who has won the French Open and Wimbledon before the US Open as well as the Australian Open last year. The 28-year-old Roddick, whose only title of the season came at Brisbane in January, needed just 91 minutes to secure a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) victory over Jeremy Chardy of France in the second round. Chardy, 23, lost his serve in the third game of the first set after leading 40-0 to go down 1-2, which eventually cost him the set. Ranked 60th in the world against Roddick's 10th, Chardy stood firm in his service games and did not give the American another break opportunity until the tie-break. Chardy had a set point in the 10th game of the second, leading 5-4 and 30-40 but failed to hit a backhand. He did not have another chance as he went two mini-breaks down in the tie-break at 2-6. He saved the first match point with an ace and then bravely got to the net for a forehand volley winner on the next, but misfired a backhand passing shot to surrender the match. In the quarterfinals Friday, Roddick will play fifth seed Gael Monfils of France, who outclassed Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-4, 6-4. Viktor Troicki of Serbia staved off one match point at 3-5 and 40-30 down in the final set before scoring a break to beat Jurgen Melzer of Austria 7-6 (9-7), 3-6, 7-6 (7
