Kirilenko manages to make KIA quarters

BARCELONA, Spain, June 12 (UPI) -- Second-seeded Maria Kirilenko was pushed to a third set Thursday before she advanced at the $145,000 Barcelona KIA tennis tournament in Spain.

Kirilenko was strong in the first set, dropping just one game, but wasn't able to put away Carla Suarez Navarro until the 10th game of the third set. She won at 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 and made the tournament quarterfinals.

Her opponent in the next round will be Edin Gallovits, the KIA runner-up in 2007. Gallovits was sharp again Thursday, dispatching Klara Zakopalova 6-2, 6-0.

Also in second-round play Thursday, fourth-seeded Lucie Safarova topped Arantxa Parra Santonja 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 and Ekaterina Ivanova stopped Maria Kondratieva 1-6, 6-1, 7-5.

In addition to the Kirilenko-Gallovits match Friday, the quarterfinal schedule has Safarova playing Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, sixth-seeded Sara Errani going against Nuria Llagostera Vives and Ivanova facing Stephanie Cohen-Aloro.