Li Na advances from Bartoli withdrawal, Raonic bombs

EASTBOURNE: China's Li Na reached the quarter-finals of the ATP-WTA Eastbourne International on Wednesday without hitting a ball while men's top seed Milos Raonic was upset for the second straight week on grass.

Li, the second seed at Devonshire Park, got the news form her coach that French opponent Marion Bartoli, the 2011 winner, would not be playing their second-round match due to a viral infection.

Li went back to the practice court after her free ride in the pre-Wimbledon warm-up event.

"This is not the best way to win a match. So I was feeling so sorry for her," said the former Roland Garros champion.

Czech Lucie Safarova put out Australian Samantha Stosur 7-6 7/5), 6-3 while American qualifier Jamie Hampton followed up her defeat of top seed Agnieszka Radwanska by beating Hsieh Su Wei 6-4, 7-6 (7/2).

Raonic, playing as top seed on a wild card, will head to the Monday start of Wimbledon without a grass win after defeats in Halle and here.

The 15th-seeded Canadian has recently started working with former Croatian player Ivan Dodig but the combination has so far yet to bear much fruit.

The top seed lost serve twice in the opening set after losing the first game on a run of errors. The second was more competitive, but the Canadian came up short in the tiebreaker despite saving a match point.

Feliciano Lopez of Spain upset Argentine fourth seed Juan Monaco 6-4, 6-4 while fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco reached his first quarter-final since Bangkok last September with a 6-4, 6-0 defeat of compatriot Albert Ramos. (AFP)