Top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo moved a step closer to winning a US$1.3 million diamond-studded racket on Thursday, beating fellow French national Virginie Razzano 7-6 (6), 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals of the Diamond Games.
The two-time defending champion on Sunday can claim permanent possession of the prestigious trophy, awarded to the first three-time winner in any five-year span.
Mauresmo, ranked No. 3 on the WTA Tour, struggled for an hour against her compatriot, 5-2 in the first-set tiebreaker before prevailing. Her second set started just as ominously. Qualifier Razzano, ranked 85th, led 4-1 before Mauresmo clawed back, claiming victory on her fifth match point.
She was to play sixth-seeded Russian Dinara Safina yesterday.
Third-seeded Nadia Petrova beat Vera Zvonareva of Russia 7-6 (2), 6-4 Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the WTA Tour event.
The seventh-ranked Petrova won the Gaz de France Open on Sunday, but suffered apparent stomach pain early in Thursday's match.
She still dominated Zvonareva, ranked 21st, in the tiebreaker.
In another all-Russian match, Elena Likhovtseva defeated fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva 6-2, 1-1 to reach the last eight when Dementieva was forced to retire with an injured elbow.
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia) beat Nathalie Dechy of France 6-3 6-7(2) 6-2.
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