WUHAN, China — Angelique Kerber lost for the first time since becoming the No. 1-ranked player, losing to Petra Kvitova in the third round of the Wuhan Open Wednesday.
Kvitova saved 17 of 22 break points on her way to the 6-7 (10), 7-5, 6-4 win over Kerber, who committed eight double faults.
"It's always tough to play against Petra," said Kerber, who was facing Kvitova for the 10th time in her career. "I think we both played on a really high level over three hours. At the end, I think there's no loser. I did everything today. I was fighting until the end."
Kerber replaced Serena Williams atop the rankings with her run to the US Open title, and took time off before coming to China to start her Asian swing in Wuhan, where she had a bye in the first round.
Kvitova last beat Kerber in the 2014 Fed Cup final, and had since lost to the German three times, including in the US Open fourth round.
In the quarterfinals, Kvitova will face Johanna Konta of Britain, who beat seventh-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 7-5, 7-6 (6). Konta saved three set points in a marathon ninth game, and recovered from 6-3 down in the tiebreak.
Svetlana Kuznetsova ousted defending champion Venus Williams 6-2, 6-2.
Kuznetsova dominated Williams from the outset, breaking the American five times. She improved to 5-4 against Williams.
Williams struggled with her serve in the gusty conditions and had seven double faults.
"I don't think Venus played her best game. But I've been confident and I've been playing well," Kuznetsova said. "I didn't use a couple of my chances in the second set but I still could finish it 6-2."
Kuznetsova next plays third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2.
Simona Halep of Romania also advanced, beating Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 6-3, 6-3.
Halep will face Madison Keys of the United States in the quarters. Keys beat Russian qualifier Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.
Halep was struck by a shot fired from the baseline by her doubles partner Jelena Ostapenko, before retiring from the match Tuesday evening.
"She hit me with the ball, like 150 kilometers per hour. I was dizzy in the first moment, but then was much better," Halep said. "I feel pain all around here, but it's okay," she added, gesturing to the left side of her head.
Halep said she was cleared to play by doctors.
Serena to play Auckland
Serena Williams will headline the Auckland Classic in January, organizers said Wednesday, hailing her appearance as a major coup for the New Zealand tournament.
The 22-time Grand Slam winner has never played in the Jan. 2-7 tournament before, preferring to warm-up for the Australian Open at the Hopman Cup in Perth in recent years.
Williams, the reigning Wimbledon champion, is currently ranked No. 2 in the world after Angelique Kerber broke her 186-week reign at the top. — Agencies
Djokovic pulls out of China Open
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has been forced to withdraw from next week's China Open in Beijing because of an elbow injury.
Serb Djokovic, a six-time winner of the tournament who has a 29-0 win-loss record in Beijing, last played in his US Open final loss to Stan Wawrinka this month.
Serena also withdrew from the China Open due to a persistent shoulder injury.
S. African handed life ban for match-fixing
In London, South African tennis player Joshua Chetty was banned for life Wednesday after being found guilty of match-fixing charges, the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) announced.
The 21-year-old, ranked at 1,857 in the world, admitted offering another player $2,000 (1,800 euros) to under-perform in a singles match, and $600 in a doubles match, during a third-tier Futures event in Stellenbosch, South Africa, in November 2015.
Chetty reached a career-high of 1,370 in June 2015. — Agencies
