Sunfeast Open: Kirilenko, Chan in quarterfinals

Kolkata: Fourth-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko and eighth-seeded Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan advanced to the quarterfinals of the WTA Tour's Sunfeast Open on Wednesday.

Kirilenko smashed out fellow Russian Ekaterina Ivanova 6-1, 6-4 in the second round, while Chan outplayed Slovakia's Jarmila Gajdosova 6-1, 6-2.

Ivanova, who came through a qualifying event, could only win the third game of the opening set against Kirilenko, who forced service breaks in the first, fifth and seventh games.

Kirilenko faced a stiffer challenge in the second set when Ivanova effected a service break in the third game, but fancied Kirilenko broke back in the sixth and 10th games to clinch the set.

Chan's supremacy over Gajdosova resulted in three service breaks in the second, fourth and sixth games of the opening set after she conceded the first point. Two more breaks secured Chan the second set and a place in the quarterfinals.

Unseeded Tzipora Obziler from Israel also made the quarterfinals when she rallied from a first-set deficit to prevail 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 against Casey Dellacqua of Australia.

Second-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia started with a 6-2, 6-1 victory against Poland's Marta Domachowska in the first round, while seventh-seeded Flavia Pennetta from Italy defeated Indian wild card Tara Iyer 6-3, 6-1.

In other first round fixtures, Britain's Anne Keothavong beat Italian Sara Errani 6-4, 6-4 and Mariya Koryttseva of Ukraine posted a 6-3, 6-3 win against Australian Monique Adamczak.