Dementieva advances past stubborn Kvitova

Fourth-seed Elena Dementieva got her campaign off to a shaky start before advancing past Czech qualifier Petra Kvitova and into the quarter-finals of the WTA Paris Indoor Open on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old Muscovite struggled with her serve but held on for a hard fought 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 win against her 17-year-old opponent ranked just 152 in the world.

Seventh Agnes Szavay of Hungary also advanced to the quarter-finals, but needed two hours to get past Italian Tathiana Garbin 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Dementieva, who reaches the quarter-finals in Paris for the fourth time in six attempts, next plays the winner of the all-Ukrainian tie between Kateryna Bondarenko and Yuliana Fedak.

But the biggest obstacle to her ninth WTA title she believes will be Amelie Mauresmo, who ousted her in her only semi-final appearance here in 2003, the year the Frenchwoman went on to win the title.

Szavay, 19, will next play the winner of the tie between second seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova and Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik.

Earlier Nathalie Dechy, Virginie Razzano and Alize Cornet helped ease their country's Fed Cup misery by advancing to the second round.

Dechy China's Peng Shuai in straight sets as Razzano needed three sets to get past eighth-seeded Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine.

Peng, 22, had been a key player in China's 3-2 World Group success over France at the weekend when she gave the hosts their first point with a surprise win over Razzano in Beijing.

But the French proved they are masters at home with Dechy beating Peng 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), and Razzano coming away 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 winner at the Pierre de Coubertin stadium.

They were later joined by teenager Cornet who got past Czech qualifier Klara Zakopalova 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

The 28-year-old Dechy next meets top-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze, the recipient of a first-round bye.

Razzano, meanwhile, had a tougher time getting past Bondarenko despite coasting through the first set.

She received courtside treatment for her aching back and thigh muscles twice in the third set before achieving her first win in three meetings with the Ukrainian after just over two hours.

She next meets Cornet, 18, who also needed two hours to advance to the second round for the first time after making her debut last year.

PATTAYA OPEN

AP, PATTAYA, THAILAND

Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska advanced yesterday to the quarter-finals of the US$170,000 Pattaya Women's Open with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over former champion Anne Kremer.

The 18-year-old Pole, a quarter-finalist in last month's Australian Open who is ranked No. 21 in the world, delivered a mix of drop shots, lobs and spins to beat the tournament's 2000 winner in one hour, 23 minutes.

In an upset, Slovenian Andreja Klepac, ranked just 145 in the world, played an aggressive baseline game to overwhelm second seed Casey Dellacqua of Australia 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 in one hour, 49 minutes.

In another second round upset, Russian qualifier Vesna Manasieva chalked up a 6-2, 6-1 win over third seed Angelique Kerber of Germany in just 74 minutes.

Fourth-seeded Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan also advanced to the third round by beating Lilia Osterloh of the US, 6-4, 6-2.

Also see: Davis Cup action gets under way in Kaohsiung today