Azarenka win has double benefits

MOSCOW, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- No. 2-seeded Victoria Azarenka claimed a spot in the WTA's season-ending championships with a win Wednesday at the Kremlin Cup tennis tournament in Moscow.

Azarenka needed more than 2 1/2 hours and three sets but finally got by Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 in a second-round match. Azarenka survived dropping her own serve seven times because she broke Petkovic's serve eight times in 13 games.

The decision locked a place in next week's Sony Ericsson Championships in Qatar for Azarenka. The tournament invites the top eight rated women tennis players in the world. Azarenka is No. 10 but No. 2-ranked Serena Williams and No. 4 Venus Williams have already pulled out because of injuries, allowing the WTA to extend the invitation to Azarenka.

She draws seventh-seeded Alisa Kleybanova in the next round. Kleybanova topped Sara Errani 7-6 (7-0), 6-4, losing only nine points on serve in the second set.

Another quarterfinal pairing was set by wins from No. 8-seeded Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez and Dominika Cibulkova. Martinez Sanchez was a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 winner over Alona Bondarenko while Cibulkova defeated Tsvetana Pironkova 6-4, 6-1.