Kirilenko reaches last eight at China Open
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Xinhua, October 7, 2011
Former champion Maria Kirilenko looked to be at about her peak of her hardcourt game at the prestigious China Open, making it to the quarterfinals after beating Tamira Paszek of Austria in straight sets on Thursday.
The 2005 China Open winner needed only one hour and 23 minutes to dispatch Paszek 6-1, 6-2 in the third round match.
It was a particularly strong serving day for Kirilenko, who lost just 15 points in eight service games and she also broke Paszek twice in each set.
The 24-year-old has been building confidence after sending the U.S. Open winner Samantha Stosur crashing out of the Premier-level tournament in the second round.
Kirilenko will take on Romanian Monica Niculescu, who came through a worrying first set to outclass Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano in the all-qualifier battle 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
It has been a very strong last six weeks for Kirilenko -- she has gone 12-3 in that stretch, reaching the fourth round of the U.S. Open, the semifinals of Guangzhou, and now back-to-back quarterfinals at Tokyo and Beijing.
It only makes sense she has picked up steam in Asia -- she has won three of her five career WTA titles on this continent.
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