Tennis: Stephens blasts through

Shelley Stephens says her game is slowly coming together. Japan's Hiromi Okazaki might beg to differ.

The Kiwi No 1 and top seed needed just 42 minutes to blast Okazaki out of the $US10,000 ($24,000) Wellington women's international 6-0 6-0 at the Renouf Tennis Centre yesterday.

Stephens plays Adriana Szili in her quarter-final today after the Australian 16-year-old ousted Lower Hutt mother-of-four Julie Scott 6-1 6-2.

Second seed Rochelle Rosenfield coasted into the last eight with a 6-2 6-1 win over fellow Australian Cassandra Barr and will play compatriot Nicole Kriz, the fifth seed, in her quarter-final.

Australian qualifier Danya Ivanov plays Auckland's third-seeded Ilke Gers in the last eight after Gers beat Japan's Kanako Yano 6-3 6-3.

The other quarter-final pits fourth seed Tracey O'Connor against German eighth seed Madita Suer.

- NZPA