Pennetta brushes aside Baltacha

The Scot had begun 2012 in positive fashion with victory over New Zealand’s Sacha Jones in the first round on Monday, but world No 20 Pennetta proved too strong for her in the second round.

Pennetta gained the upper hand by converting her one break point in the first set and then overcame a rain delay on set point to clinch the opener before cruising through the second set to post a 6-4, 6-2 triumph.

Top seed Sabine Lisicki and third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova overcame frustrating rain delays to advance to the quarter-finals, while five seeded players were knocked out.

Lisicki endured a 90-minute delay for heavy rain that halted her momentum before she scratched out a 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 victory over fellow German Mona Barthel.

Kuznetsova was forced off for 35 minutes with the score 30-30 while she was leading 5-1 in the second set against American teenager Christina McHale, who had beaten the former world No 2 twice in the last year.

When the pair returned they warmed up for nine minutes before some stoic defence by McHale, who saved three match points. They played for another four minutes with the twice grand slam winner sealing the 6-1, 6-1 victory when McHale’s forehand floated wide.

“It was strange, because it was a few points away and the game could have gone either way and it was difficult to maintain concentration but I think it worked out pretty well for me,” Kuznetsova said.

“I was playing well. I did have some unforced errors but I completed my game plan and I’m happy with my performance.”

Lisicki also suffered a weather delay earlier in the day. The 22-year-old had broken Barthel to take a 6-5 lead in the first set and seemed to be getting on top before rain forced the players off.

They returned about 90 minutes later but the momentum Lisicki had gathered before the rain dissipated and she was broken to force the set into a tie-break, which she won 7-3. Barthel rallied to overcome a 0-2 deficit in the second set, and Lisicki’s swinging second serve on set point down failed to find the centre line, forcing a decider.

Lisicki raced to a 3-0 lead in the final set and sealed victory on her second match point

Second seed Peng Shuai, fifth seed Julia Goerges, sixth seed Roberta Vinci and eighth seed Monica Niculescu all lost in the day session, while seventh seed and 2010 champion Yanina Wickmayer lost to Italy’s Sara Errani in the night session.