Bartoli eases through in Moscow, eyes Istanbul

MOSCOW: Marion Bartoli moved a step closer to securing the last remaining spot in the season-ending WTA Championships with a 6-1 6-1 thrashing of Russia's Ksenia Pervak in the Kremlin Cup second round on Thursday.

After Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, the only other player with a chance of making next week's championships, was knocked out on Wednesday, the third seed must win in Moscow to make sure of her place in the eight-player field.

The Frenchwoman will face Elena Vesnina in Friday's quarter-finals after the unseeded Russian eliminated compatriot Ekaterina Ivanova 6-3 6-4.

Second seed Radwanska lost to unseeded Czech Lucie Safarova in the second round n Wednesday.

If she beats Vesnina, Bartoli could meet top seed Vera Zvonareva in Saturday's semi-finals.

On Friday, world number five Zvonareva, who has already booked her ticket to Turkey, takes on eighth-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, who beat Czech Klara Zakopalova 7-6 6-2.

Bartoli beat U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur in the Japan Open final on Sunday for her second title of the year.