Mauresmo advances at Open Gaz de Paris

PARIS, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo was among Thursday's winners at the Open Gaz de France tennis tournament in Paris.

Mauresmo, the second seed, blasted fellow Frenchwoman Nathalie Dechy, 6-3, 6-2, in a second-round match. Her quarterfinal opponent Friday will be No. 8 seed Anna Chakvetadze of Russia, who was a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, winner over Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues.

In other matches Thursday, Lucie Safarova topped No. 9 fellow Czech Republic native Nicole Vaidisova, 6-4, 6-2; fourth-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia ousted Germany's Martina Muller, 6-1, 6-2; and France's Tatiana Golovin beat qualifier Ekaterina Bychkova of Russia, 6-4, 6-4.

Friday's other quarterfinals will feature top-seeded Belgian Justine Henin against Golovin; No. 3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia against Safarova; and Petrova against seventh-seeded fellow Russian Dinara Safina, the 2005 Gaz de France champion.