BERLIN, May 8 (UPI) -- Fourth-seeded Jennifer Capriati rolled into the German Open quarterfinals Thursday with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Nathalie Dechy of France.
In preparation for the French Open, Capriati will seek her fifth successive semifinal appearance when she faces Russian Elena Likhovtseva, who rallied to beat Magui Serna of Spain, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.
"The score didn't tell the true tale," Capriati said. "It was pretty difficult, even more than yesterday. I just played really well, but she's a tough opponent. She's very persistent."
The 26-year-old American has suffered from poor health this season. Capriati started the year with opening-round losses in Sydney and the Australian Open while recovering from eye surgery to remove sunspots. She reached the final at Miami but withdrew from Charleston due to strep throat.
"It's a little bit difficult pacing yourself going towards the French. But it's not like I've peaked at any time during the year so far, so I have a lot left in me and I'm not going to peak too soon."
Playing her first WTA Tour event in more than a month, the top-seeded Kim Clijsters recovered from a 2-5 deficit in the first set and ousted Colombian qualifier Fabiola Zuluaga, 7-5, 6-3.
"At 5-2, I decided to just go for it and keep the ball short and keep focusing on her backhand," said Clijsters, playing on the WTA Tour for the first time since a semifinal defeat to Serena Williams at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami in late March.
"I was happy to close it out (on her serve) because I was hitting a few double-faults again in that second set. Fabiola is a very good clay-courter, and in the beginning I couldn't read her serve and had difficulty returning and reading her game."
Clijsters will next meet Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova, who again rallied, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), in dispatching Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian of Switzerland. Hantuchova also had a three-set match against Barbara Schett in the second round.
Fellow Belgian and No. 3 seed Justine Henin-Hardenne eliminated Patty Schnyder of Switzerland, 6-2, 6-3.
Vera Zvonareva of Russia, who won her first career title last week in Bol, Croatia, prevailed after losing the second set to Eleni Daniilidou of Greece, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.
Henin-Hardenne and Zvonareva will clash in the final eight.
Fresh off winning her first title of the year in Warsaw, fifth seed Amelie Mauresmo of France defeated Israel's Anna Pistolesi, 6-3, 6-2. In the quarterfinals, Mauresmo will play Iroda Tulyaganova, who overcame eighth-seeded Jelena Dokic of Yugoslavia, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-0).
