Marino drops quarters match at Bell Challenge

North Vancouver qualifier Rebecca Marino was left with mixed motions after turning heads at the U.S. Open Wednesday, giving American Venus Williams all she could handle in the first set before succumbing 7-6 (3), 6-3 to the third seed.

QUEBEC CITY - Canada's Rebecca Marino was eliminated from the Bell Challenge women's tennis tournament Friday, dropping a 6-4, 7-6 (4) decision to American Bethanie Mattek-Sands.

The loss ends a nice run for the Vancouver player, who upset top-seeded Marion Bartoli earlier in the US$220,000 indoor hardcourt tournament.

Mattek-Sands will face third-seeded Lucie Safarova in the semifinals Saturday. The Czech player advanced with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over fifth-seeded Melanie Oudin of the United States.

In other quarter-final action at Club Avantage Multi-Sports de Quebec, Christina McHale beat fellow American Alexa Glatch 6-3, 6-1, and Austria's Tamira Paszek beat eighth-seeded Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden 6-3, 6-4.