TOKYO (AP) Maria Kirilenko of Russia defeated Ana Ivanovic 6-3, 6-1 in the third round Wednesday to eliminate another seeded player and advance to the quarterfinals at the Pan Pacific Open.
Kirilenko, who knocked out U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur on Tuesday, broke her opponent in the first game of the second set and never was threatened by the 12th-ranked Serb, who took a medical timeout midway through the second set because of a sore back.
To be honest, I was a little bit tired today when I woke up,'' Kirilenko said.I didn't have that much time to recover because we finished so late yesterday.''
Kirilenko broke Ivanovic again to go up 4-1 in the second set and took advantage of her opponent's sixth double fault in the last game to close out the match.
Kirilenko will next face compatriot Vera Zvonareva, who defeated Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2.
You do get more and more confident with each win,'' said Kirilenko, who has yet to beat Zvonareva in five matches.I've had so many tough matches against Vera. Hopefully, tomorrow will be another tough one.''
Elsewhere, seventh-seeded Marion Bartoli of France coasted to a 6-2, 6-1 win over China's Peng Shuai.
Maria Sharapova, the tournament's No. 2 seed, will face Julia Goerges of Germany, and top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark faces Kaia Kenepi of Estonia later Wednesday.