SYDNEY, Australia -- Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova advanced to the Sydney International semifinals on Wednesday with a 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory over fellow Czech player Lucie Safarova. Kvitova, the second seed, will play the winner of the quarterfinal being played later Wednesday between Italys Sara Errani and Bulgarias Tsvetana Pironkova. In other womens play at the Australian Open warm-up tournament, defending champion Elena Vesnina retired from her second-round match at the Hobart International with a back injury. Spanish qualifier Estrella Cabeza Candela was leading the match 4-6, 6-2, 4-1 when Vesnina quit. Vesnina claimed her first WTA title in Hobart last year and was looking to become the first back-to-back winner in the events 21-year history. In mens play at Sydney, Australian wild card Marinko Matosevic upset third-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy 6-3, 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals. Defending champion Bernard Tomic was scheduled to play his second-round match later Wednesday. At the ATPs Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealand, American wild card Jack Sock got the biggest win of his career when he beat second-seeded Tommy Hass 6-4, 6-4 in the second round. The 21-year-old Sock is 14 years younger than Haas and his ranking is nearly 90 places lower than the 12th-ranked German. But Sock started strongly and got early breaks in both sets to pull off the upset. Sock will face Roberto Batista Agut in Thursdays quarterfinals after the Spaniard beat sixth-seeded Benoit Paire of France 6-3, 6-4. Third-seeded American John Isner also progressed to the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-2 win over Lucas Lacko of Slovakia. Isners participation in the tournament had been in doubt because of an ankle injury, but he seemed fit in a match that lasted nearly two hours. American qualifier Steve Johnson beat Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis 7-5, 6-7 (3), 6-4 in a first-round match held over from Tuesday because of rain. In the mens exhibition tournament at Kooyong, former home of the Australian Open, Tomas Berdych, the No. 7-ranked Czech, beat Spains Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 6-2. The Australian Open begins on Monday at Melbourne Park. Clearance Air Jordan Store . Kyle Shanahan was hired as offensive co-ordinator Monday after spending the previous four years in the same role with the Washington Redskins. Jordan China .com) - The Memphis Grizzlies signed guard Seth Curry on Tuesday. https://www.jordanchina.us/ . -- The Atlanta Braves are facing the possibility of losing another pitcher for the season after general manager Frank Wren said Saturday that Cory Gearrin has a serious injury to his right elbow. Cheap Air Jordan Free Shipping . "This is my city," the Toronto native said upon his arrival Wednesday night. And the 35-year-old former league MVP says he is hoping to making 2014 a memorable year. Air Jordan China . The South Africa international, who rejoined the club last month on loan from Tottenham, opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a powerful shot into the roof of the net.OAKLAND, Calif. - Relaxed, relieved and ready to resume their championship chase, the Los Angeles Clippers tried to get back some sense of normalcy Wednesday after a week unlike any other in NBA history. Clippers coach Doc Rivers says his team is not past the "distraction" caused by owner Donald Sterlings racist remarks caught on an audio recording. While NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has bannedd Sterling from the league for life and asked owners to force a sale of the franchise, Rivers says plenty of uncertainty will remain until a new ownership group is in place.dddddddddddd. The Clippers can at least take another step forward on the court when they try to eliminate the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 on Thursday night in Oakland. Los Angeles leads the first-round series 3-2. ' ' '