Dent, Myskina advance in Kremlin Cup

Moscow:

American Taylor Dent outlasted Olivier Rochus of Belgium 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 while Russia's Anastasia Myskina breezed past Magui Serna of Spain 6-3, 6-1 to move to the quarterfinals of the $2.3 million Kremlin Cup. Fourth-seeded Myskina, inspired by her recent upsets of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne en route to the Sparkassen Cup last weekend, had little trouble against Serna in women's play. She needed two breaks to win the first set and jumped to a 5-0 lead in the second one to seal the victory in 54 minutes. "I have a very good draw and a very good chance to reach the final here," said Myskina, who will face Eleni Daniilidou of Greece in the quarterfinals tomorrow. "My recent wins over top-ranked players at Leipzig filled me with confidence and I realized I can play and beat them," said Myskina. Myskina, world No 10, is looking for her fourth title this year. She reached the semifinals here in 2001, losing to her countrywoman and Fed Cup teammate Elena Dementieva. Third-seeded Dementieva, currently world No 8, also gained a quarterfinal spot today, eliminating qualifier Jelena Kostanic of Croatia 6-2, 6-3. In the men's action, Dent, fresh from beating world No 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain to capture the inaugural Thailand Open on Sunday, has extended his winning streak to seven matches. On Tuesday, he marked his Kremlin Cup debut with upset of third-seeded Felix Mantilla of Spain in straight sets in just 46 minutes. (AP)