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Dulko & Pennetta Deny Defending Champs

Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta had little trouble with Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, and are into the quarters in Tokyo.

Published September 28, 2011 04:53

Dulko & Pennetta Deny Defending Champs
Gisela Dulko, Flavia Pennetta

TOKYO, Japan - Both of the seeded teams in first round action, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta and Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko, cruised on Wednesday at the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

The second-seeded Dulko and Pennetta made short work of defending champions Iveta Benesova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 63 62, to set up a quarterfinal encounter with Irina-Camelia Begu and Anastasia Rodionova. "After my tough loss in singles yesterday, today we played great doubles against a really good team!" Dulko tweeted.

The fourth-seeded Azarenka and Kirilenko beat Alexandra Dulgheru and Tamarine Tanasugarn, 62 61, in a match that lasted the exact same amount of time as Dulko and Pennetta's - one hour and two minutes. Next up for Azarenka and Kirilenko, who each are also into the quarterfinals of singles, are Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears. Azarenka and Kirilenko continue to show remarkable consistency, as they are now 27-3 on the year. Also, this is their 13th career event together, and they made at least the quarters in each.

There was one tight match Wednesday, as Natalie Grandin and Vladimira Uhlirova got past Chuang Chia-Jung and Shahar Peer, 63 26 108. Grandin and Uhlirova, who are fresh off their first career title as a duo last week in Seoul, will take on No.3 seeds Vania King and Yaroslava Shvedova in the quarters.

Thursday's quarterfinals will also feature top-seeded Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond against Chan Yung-Jan and Julia Goerges. Huber and Raymond, Azarenka and Kirilenko, King and Shvedova and Dulko and Pennetta are among the teams in a battle for the three remaining spots at the TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships - Istanbul 2011. Grandin and Uhlirova have an outside shot at qualifying. Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik have already clinched one of the spots.

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