Murray nears second straight win

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Oct. 23 (UPI) -- Defending champion Andy Murray breezed into the quarterfinals of the St. Petersburg Open in Russia Thursday while Marat Safin was eliminated by Andrey Golubev.

Murray, seeking his second straight title after winning in Madrid last week, was a 6-4, 6-2 winner over Ernests Gulbis. The top-seeded Murray will meet Janko Tipsarevic in Friday's quarterfinals. Tipsarevic won over Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

Safin, who won this tournament in 2000 and 2001, fell to Golubev 6-4, 6-2. Safin was joined on the sidelines by fourth-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, who was eliminated by Mischa Zverev 7-5, 6-4.