PARIS: Italian top seed Sara Errani can avenge her shock Australian Open first round defeat to Carla Suarez Navarro when she tackles the Spaniard in the Paris Open quarter-finals.

Errani reached the last eight in the French capital without breaking sweat when Slovak opponent Magdalena Rybarikova retired with a viral illness when trailing 4-0 in the first set on Thursday.

“I didn’t know my opponent was sick, but I hope she recovers soon,” Errani said.

“The next match is going to be interesting because I know Carla very well and she beat me at the Australian Open. I like this surface and I just want to keep playing my game, and we will see how it goes tomorrow.”

Suarez Navarro beat eighth-seeded Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-4, 6-3. Dutch lucky loser Kiki Bertens blasted five aces en route to a 7-5, 6-4 win over fourth-seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova as the 21-year-old reached her first quarter-final. Sixth-seeded Czech Lucie Safarova, twice a runner-up in Paris, beat France’s Alize Cornet 6-2, 4-6 6-2 and faces Bertens for a semi-final spot.

French wildcard Kristina Mladenovic took out Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-4, 6-4.

Third-seeded French star Marion Bartoli will meet German Mona Barthel and Safarova will encounter Bertens.  The former Wimbledon runner-up Bartoli lost to German Angelique Kerber in last year’s final in Paris.

The winner of this $690,000 event will collect $125,000.