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 Suarez Navarro" class="tpstyle">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.