MOSCOW, Russia - Vera Zvonareva was bundled out of her home tournament on Thursday, falling to Tsvetana Pironkova in the second round, also putting her out of contention for Doha. 
Moscow: Thursday Highlights
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Zvonareva, the No.1 seed at the Premier-level event, seemed completely out of sorts against the Bulgarian qualifier, winning only 12 points in the 27-minute first set and, after hanging with her on serve early in the second set, dropping four straight games to fall quietly, 60 62. Highlights: Pironkova vs. Zvonareva
By virtue of the pre-quarterfinal loss, Zvonareva took herself out of contention for the eighth spot in the Sony Ericsson Championships - Doha 2009, that spot now going to Jelena Jankovic, the No.2 seed here, who took the court later in the day for her own second round match. Although she would have qualified without winning the match, Jankovic beat Lucie Safarova, 76(5) 63. Safarova led 5-3 first set and even had three set points at 5-4 but succumbed in a tie-break before the Serb moved comfortably through the second set.
"Even though I made it to Doha and that's very exciting, this tournament is very important to me," Jankovic said. "I came here to compete. I'm trying my best in every match and hope to win. I want to finish the year in the best possible way."
Pironkova earned her third career Top 10 victory, following previous wins over Venus Williams (2006) and Ana Ivanovic (2008).
"Vera is a great player and the top seed for the tournament, so I'm very happy with the way I played and the score was a surprise for me," Pironkova said. "This is one of the last tournaments of the year, so I told myself just to go for it and enjoy it and see what happens. I guess it worked!"
"She moves well on the court and hits tough shots. I hope to play better against her next time," Zvonareva said. "I need to treat my injuries and prepare for the new season. I just want to enjoy my tennis. I want to start the new season just enjoying the competition and not thinking when I hit the ball. I want to work hard in the off-season and start everything with a blank page."
Only one other seed was in action Thursday, the No.8 seed, Francesca Schiavone, who rallied from a break down to beat Monica Niculescu, 62 75. A trio of Russians - Alisa Kleybanova, Vera Dushevina and Maria Kirilenko - won matches between unseeded players to make the quarters.
"I'm really happy about winning today and beating yet another strong player," said Kirilenko, who beat Aleksandra Wozniak. "I feel like my tennis is in the best shape right now, maybe even for the season. I love playing at home and hope to keep doing well this week." Highlights: Kirilenko vs. Wozniak
