Errani, Schmiedlova reach Gastein quarters

Australia’s Sam Stosur has swept into the quarter-finals of the WTA event at Bad Gastein in Austria with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic.

Eighth-seeded James Ward of Britain was upset by 129th-ranked Michael Berrer of Germany 6-4, 6-7 (7), 7-5 in a match in which both players served well.

Errani broke in the first game of the match and, although the Italian surrendered that advantage in game six, she earned another break for a 5-4 lead and served out the opener to love.

Italy’s Roberta Vinci beat Russian qualifier Alexandra Panova 7-6 (3), 6-3 Wednesday to reach the quarterfinals of the Istanbul Cup.

World No. 23 Stosur, who won the 2011 US Open, was in the hunt for her second title this season.

The seventh-seeded Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia won the first set 6-1 before her opponent Andreea Mitu pulled out.

She will face unseeded Danka Kovinic, who came through to the next round after winning over lucky loser Richel Hogenkamp 6-3 6-1.

The second-seeded Australian only needed 49 minutes to dispatch Koukalova.

Fifth-seeded Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic, a five-time doubles champion in Bad Gastein, advanced to the second round after a 6-4, 6-1 win over Lara Arruabarrena of Spain.

Schmiedlova takes on Annika Beck of Germany in the quarterfinals.

In first-round play, Johanna Larsson of Sweden downed Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland 6-2, 6-2.