Pavlyuchenkova, Jankovic advance in Moscow

Pavlyuchenkova, Jankovic advance in Moscow

MOSCOW - Former champions Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Jelena Jankovic advanced to a second round showdown at the Kremlin Cup on Tuesday.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, in action on September 22, 2016, will next face Jelena Jankovic at the Kremlin Cup

Pavlyuchenkova, the 2014 winner and seeded seventh, battled through a tough three-set first round clash with Czech Katerina Siniakova.

The Russian, ranked 23rd, won 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 7-5 in two hours 46 minutes, to chalk up her third win over the 20-year-old Siniakova in as many meetings.

Pavlyuchenkova will face Jankovic for a place in the last eight after the 2008 winner from Serbia eased past Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 6-3 in 74 minutes.

"Overall it was tougher than the scoreline suggests," Jankovic told AFP.

"It was a bit unusual with so many breaks and it was quite difficult for me to hold my serve. But my good return made the difference today.

"Of course I would love to repeat my 2008 success here as it's always my goal - to win the tournament that I'm playing."

Pavlyuchenkova, who is seeking a career ninth and season's first title in Moscow, took the opening set in a tiebreak after 51 minutes, while Siniakova fought back from 3-0 down in the second to level after one hour 52 minutes on court.

The deciding set was a mirror reflection of the second as Pavlyuchenkova overcame a three-game deficit to claim her second-round spot.

Earlier, Croatian lucky loser Ana Konjuh, ranked 58th, produced the first upset of the tournament beating sixth seeded Czech Barbora Strycova 6-4, 1-6, 6-2.

"I'm really pleased to get the win," the 18-year-old Konjuh said. "It wasn't easy after losing in qualifying but today thankfully I played my own style of tennis. I was more aggressive than her and that was the key."

In the ATP section, Italy's Paolo Lorenzi, the seventh seed, cruised into the second round with a 6-4, 6-4 win over a compatriot Federico Gaio, while sixth seeded Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta ousted Austria's qualifier Jurgen Melzer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2).

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