May 5, 2005
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Defending Champ Loit Making Move in Rabat
RABAT, Morocco - Defending champion Emilie Loit won her seventh straight match in Morocco on Thursday as she advanced into the quarterfinals at the Grand Prix S.A.R. La Princesse Lalla Meryem.
The Frenchwoman, who won a title at this event one year ago when it was staged in Casablanca, moved into the final eight in Rabat after eliminating No.8 seed Claudine Schaul on Day 4, 75 64. Loit won her first and second career Tour titles on back-to-back weeks in 2004, winning Estoril and then Casablanca.
Loit will look for her second consecutive trip to the semifinals in the next round when she faces Spain's Lourdes Dominguez Lino.
Though she was unable to secure the Estoril title, top seed Na Li seems to be taking a similar path to Loit's 2004 run in Portugal and Morocco, making her way into the quarterfinals with a 60 36 62 victory against qualifier and former Top 5 player Jelena Dokic.
Li, who posted a double bagel against Nicole Pratt in the first round, will next take on Antonella Serra Zanetti in the quarters.
Dokic is still attempting to rediscover the form that moved her to No.4 in the world back in 2002. She was a Top 10 fixture for three years before injuries hampered her during 2004. She is currently ranked No.443.
Joining Li in representing China in the quarters is No.6 seed Jie Zheng, who dropped just a pair of games in a 62 60 win against Canadian lucky loser Maureen Drake. Zheng will next face No.4 seed Tathiana Garbin.
Though China will have two players in the quarterfinals, Spain is leading the way into the final eight with three representatives after No.7 seed Arantxa Parra Santonja reached the quarters. By defeating Chinese qualifier Zi Yan, Parra Santonja joined Dominguez Lino and her semifinal opponent, No.2 seed Nuria Llagostera Vives, in the quarters.
