Chinese hopes rest on Li

Number nine seed Li Na moved a step closer to becoming the first home player to win the China Open on Thursday.

Ivanovic dumps out Dementieva in Beijing

Number nine seed Li Na moved a step closer to becoming the first home player to win the China Open with victory over Angelique Kerber on Thursday. The Chinese No.1 safely booked her place in the quarter-finals of the WTA Tour event with a comfortable 6-2 6-0 triumph in Beijing. "I took my chances because I wanted to finish the match fast," said the world number 12. "Chinese fans now know a lot about the etiquette of watching tennis matches. They are now able to enjoy watching," added Asia's leading player, who told home fans to "shut up" during her semi-final exit from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Li's formidable forehand was simply too good for Kerber, who failed to build on her shock win over sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in round one. Latvian qualifier Anastasija Sevastova awaits Li in the last eight after she was handed a walkover win when No.13 seed Nadia Petrova pulled out with a foot injury. Former world number one Ana Ivanovic moved back into the top 30 with a hard-fought victory over seventh seed Elena Dementieva. The Serbian fired down 30 winners as Dementieva, who has fond memories of Beijing having won a gold medal here two years ago, was sent packing.