Zvonareva crushed in Moscow, Doha hopes gone

By Gennady Fyodorov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova crushed top seed Vera Zvonareva 6-0 6-2 in the second round of the Kremlin Cup Thursday, eliminating the Russian from the season-ending tournament in Doha.

Zvonareva's defeat enabled second seed Jelena Jankovic to clinch the last remaining spot in next week's WTA championships regardless of her own progress in Moscow.

Poland's third seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who also had a shot at qualifying for Doha at the start of the week, saw her chances disappear after a first-round defeat by Russia's Maria Kirilenko Wednesday.

Jankovic stayed on course to defend her Kremlin Cup title with a 7-6 6-3 victory over Czech Lucie Safarova to reach the quarter-finals where she will meet unseeded Russian Alisa Kleybanova.

Zvonareva's loss continued the cull of seeds at the annual indoor tournament, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Men's top seed Nikolay Davydenko was also sent packing by fellow Russian Marat Safin in the first round Wednesday.

COMPETITIVE JANKOVIC

Jankovic said she was not thinking of easing up after clinching the place in Doha.

"No, I came here to compete and I want to get as many (ranking) points as possible and get closer to the girls who are (ranked) higher than me," said Serbia's world number nine.

"It was very important for me to qualify for the Championships because the tournament is only for the top eight players and I want to have a chance to compete against the best."

Zvonareva, however, was not too disappointed to miss out on the $4.55 million extravaganza.

"I'm happy my season is over," the world number seven, who has been nursing a long-term ankle injury, told a news conference.

"Now I'll have enough time to recover and get ready for a new season."

Pironkova, 22, was overjoyed with her victory, only her fourth of the year on the main tour and the first since April.

"This is the biggest win ever for me, definitely," said the world number 126, who will face Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko in the last eight.