Thu Sep 25 10:09:19 2008

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Ivanovic, Kuznetsova move into Beijing quarters

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Beijing, China (Sports Network) - Second-seeded Serb Ana Ivanovic and fourth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova were among Thursday's second- round winners at the $600,000 China Open.

The French Open champion and Australian Open runner-up Ivanovic got past France's Alize Cornet 6-1, 7-6 (7-1), while Kuznetsova handled qualifier and fellow Russian Alla Kudryavtseva 6-2, 6-3 on the hardcourts at Beijing Tennis Center. The steady Kuznetsova was last week's runner-up in Tokyo.

Reigning Beijing champion Agnes Szavay was sent packing on Day 4 here, as Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues grounded the Hungarian 6-2, 6-2. Szavay upset Serbian star Jelena Jankovic in last year's final here.

In other second-round play, hot fifth-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva topped Italian Francesca Schiavone 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova ousted eighth-seeded Russian Anna Chakvetadze 6-3, 6-2, and heavy Chinese crowd favorite Jie Zheng zipped past Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-1, 6-2. Zvonareva is fresh off her title in Guangzhou last week.

Friday's quarterfinals here will pit a top-seeded Jankovic against seventh- seeded Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, the former world No.1 Ivanovic versus Zheng, Kuznetsova against Cibulkova and Zvonareva versus Medina Garrigues. Jankovic is also a former world No. 1 and was the U.S. Open runner-up earlier this month.

The 2008 Beijing titlist will collect $95,500.