PARIS, Feb 7: Fourth-seed Elena Dementieva got her campaign off to a shaky start before advancing past Czech qualifier Petra Kvitova and into the WTA Paris Open quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old Muscovite struggled with her serve but held on for a hard fought 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 win against her 17-year-old opponent ranked just 152 in the world.

Seventh seed Agnes Szavay of Hungary also advanced to the quarter-finals, but needed two hours to get past Italian Tathiana Garbin 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

“It wasn’t easy, she played well today. She came through the qualifiers and won four matches which means she’s in good form,” said Dementieva, who had received a first round bye.

Dementieva, who reaches the quarter-finals here for the fourth time in six attempts, next plays the winner of the all-Ukrainian tie between Kateryna Bondarenko and Yuliana Fedak.

But the biggest obstacle to her ninth WTA title and first this year she believes will be Amelie Mauresmo who ousted her in her only semi-final appearance here in 2003, the year the Frenchwoman went on to win the title.

Szavay, 19, will next play the winner of the tie between second seeded Slovak Daniela Hantuchova and Slovenia’s Katarina Srebotnik.

Earlier, Nathalie Dechy, Virginie Razzano and Alize Cornet helped ease their country’s Fed Cup misery by advancing to the second round.

Dechy ousted China’s Peng Shuai in straight sets as Razzano needed three sets to get past eighth-seeded Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine.

But the French proved they are masters at home with Dechy beating Peng 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), and Razzano coming away 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 winner at the Pierre de Coubertin stadium.

They were later joined by teenager Cornet who got past Czech qualifier Klara Zakopalova 4-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Results (x denotes seeding):

Second round: Elena Dementieva (RUS x4) bt Petra Kvitova (CZE) 7-6 (9/7), 6-2; Agnes Szavay (HUN x7) bt Tathiana Garbin (ITA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

First round: Alize Cornet (FRA) bt Klara Zakopalova (CZE) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1; Nathalie Dechy (FRA) bt Peng Shuai (CHN) 6-4, 7-6 (10/8); Virginie Razzano (FRA) bt Alona Bondarenko (UKR x8) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

RADWANSKA ADVANCES

PATTAYA (Thailand): Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland won a hard fought match against Vania King of the US on Wednesday to advance to the second round of the US$170,000 Pattaya Open.

The 21st-ranked teenager fought back from behind in both sets to win 7-5, 7-6(5) in a long baseline battle that took two hours and 25 minutes.

Second-seeded Casey Dellacqua of Australia made a strong debut in Pattaya by breezing past Akiko Yonemura of Japan 6-2, 6-3 in just 64 minutes.

Dellacqua will next play Andreja Klepac of Slovenia, who beat wildcard Urszula Radwanska 7-6 (1), 6-2.

In Wednesday’s other first-round matches, fourth-seeded Taiwanese Chan Yung-jan defeated Zhou Yi-miao of China 6-4, 6-2 and qualifier Vesna Mansieva of Russia quickly disposed of Thai wildcard entrant Nudnida Luangnam 6-0, 6-1.

Israeli Tzipora Obziler eliminated local Noppawan Lertcheewakarn 6-1, 6-2 and lucky loser Sunitha Rao of India beat Japan’s Junri Namigata 6-1, 6-4.

Results:

First round: Anne Kremer (LXM) bt Xu Yi-Fan (CHN) 7-6(4), 6-1; Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x1) bt Vania King (US) 7-5, 7-6(5); Sunitha Rao (IND) bt Junri Namigata (JAP) 6-4, 6-1; Andreja Klepac (SVN) bt Urszula Radwanska (POL) 7-6(1), 6-2; Casey Dellacqua (AUS x2) bt Akiko Yonemura (JAP) 6-2, 6-3; Chan Yung-Jan (TAI x4) bt Zhou Yi-Miao (CHN) 6-4, 6-2.—Agencies