China's Li Na has reached her career-first Tier I quarterfinal with a 6-1 6-0 win over Catalina Castano from Colombia at the German Open.

 

The third round match cost the Chinese only 51 minutes.

 

She will meet number four seed Patty Schnyder, who defeated Anna Smashnova, 6-3 6-3.

 

Compatriot Zheng Jie was not so lucky as she fell victim to second seeded Nadia Petrova.

 

Zheng Jie was leading the first set 5-3 when the Russian trailed the deficit as well as a set point in the tie-break to take away the set 7-6(3).

 

Zheng fought hard to win back the second set 6-4, but then lost the final decisive set in the same score: 6-4.

 

In other matches, former world number one Martina Hinggis continued her comfortable journey in Berlin, beating number 5 seed Elena Dementieva.

 

The unseeded Swiss displayed glimpses of the form that once helped her dominate the tennis world during the 6-3 6-2 rout of Dementieva.

 

The win has snapped Hinggis' three-match losing streak to the Russian, including a 6-2 6-0 steamrolling in the final of Tokyo in February.

 

Also reaching the last eight were Amélie Mauresmo and Justine Henin-Hardenne, both had dismissed promising Russian teenage rivals.

 

Rounding up the quarterfinal line-up are two more Russians: No.6 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova and No.10 seed Dinara Safina, who reached her third Tier I quarterfinal of the season.

 

(CRI May 12, 2006)