PARIS, France (AFP) — Russian top seed Elena Dementieva beat compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals of the WTA Paris Indoor Open here yesterday.

Dementieva, a second-round casualty at the Australian Open, took the first set 6-4 and was 4-1 up in the second set before Pavlyuchenkova staged a mini-revival, only for the world number seven to eventually prevail, 6-4, 6-4.

“It wasn’t an easy match to play,” said Dementieva, who lost in last year’s final to home favourite, the now retired Amelie Mauresmo.

“Anastasia had an opportunity to play on this court already and she was playing with a lot of confidence.

“I don’t think I played 100 per cent and I was up and down in the match, but in the end it was good to win in two sets. Now I’ll focus on my quarter-final match.”

Dementieva, who received a bye in the first two rounds, was joined in the last eight by Italian second seed Flavia Pennetta, who beat Russia’s Alisa Kleybanova, 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.

Tathiana Garbin followed her compatriot Pennetta into the quarter-finals after downing Russian number eight seed Elena Vesnina in three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Croatian wild card Petra Martic earlier sprung a surprise by ousting third seed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgian after winning their first-round encounter, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.

Wickmayer was left to lament a heavy schedule that saw her feature in Belgium’s 3-2 Fed Cup World Group II victory in Poland last weekend.

Martic faces Hungary’s Agnes Szavay in round two, while French fifth seed Aravane Rezai will play Germany’s Andrea Petkovic following a 6-4, 6-4 win against qualifier Evgeniya Rodina of Russia.