NEW YORK: Sara Errani used consistent shots and a notoriously soft serve to reach the U.S. Open quarterfinals, beating 32-year-old qualifier Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 Sunday to end the tournament's most unlikely comeback story.
The 13th-seeded Errani, the 2012 French Open runner-up, was content to play counter puncher to the big-hitting Lucic-Baroni, who racked up 69 unforced errors. Errani made nearly 90 percent of her first serves, which averaged a mere 76 mph.
Errani next plays the winner of the match between fifth-seeded Maria Sharapova and 10th-seeded Caroline Wozniacki.
The 121st-ranked Lucic-Baroni upset second-seeded Simona Halep in the third round.
She is a former teen prodigy who last made a deep run in a Grand Slam tournament in 1999, when she reached the semifinals at Wimbledon.
