Maria Sharapova, playing her first match since winning the U.S. Open, beat fellow Russian Ekaterina Bychkova 6-4, 7-5 Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals at the Kremlin Cup.
Among the men, top-seeded Nikolay Davydenko defeated Teimuraz Gabashvili 6-4, 6-2 to advance to the quarters in another match between Russians. Davydenko, the 2004 champion, is looking for his third title this season and a spot in the eight-player Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, in November.
Sharapova, seeded second and ranked No. 3, led a record 15 Russian women into the draw. The big upset came when Vera Zvonareva defeated fellow Russian and No. 3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 6-3. Zvonareva won four consecutive games in the first set and made a decisive break in the fourth game of the second.
``I think it was my worst match this season,'' Kuznetsova said.
Kuznetsova, ranked No. 4, blamed the carpeted court.
``I just had no time to adjust to this fast surface,'' she said.
In other women's action, fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia ousted Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany 6-2, 6-2 while sixth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland eliminated American Chanda Rubin 6-3, 6-0.
In men's play, seventh-seeded Fabrice Santoro of France beat Wesley Moodie of South Africa 6-3, 6-2, Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia upset eighth-seeded Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 7-6 (8), 6-4 and American Kevin Kim retired with a back injury after dropping the first set 6-0 to Max Mirnyi of Belarus.
Bychkova, ranked No. 81, saved three break points in the first set before losing her serve in the seventh game. Sharapova broke to open the second set. But Bychkova broke in the sixth game and again in the eighth after Sharapova's two double-faults to lead 5-3. Sharapova saved a set point and then won four straight games.
Davydenko, ranked No. 5, withstood eight aces from Gabashvili in the first set.
``I had to run up and down in the first set today,'' said Davydenko, who did not drop a game in his 37-minute, first-round match Tuesday.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
