PATTAYA, Thailand (AP)—Top-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia advanced to the WTA Pattaya Open quarterfinal with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Italy’s Alberta Brianti on Thursday.

The defending champion was untroubled by the 72nd-ranked Brianti, wrapping up the match in one hour, 28 minutes at the Dusit Thani Hotel. The 14th-rankled Russian stuck to a baseline game, winning crucial points throughout the match.

“I didn’t play my best, I was inconsistent,” Zvonareva said. “But overall it was a good performance.”

The win set up a clash against Sybille Bammer of Austria who won the title in 2007. Bammer fought back from a set down to beat Taiwanese teenager Chan Kai-Chen 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

“She is a tough opponent, a good fighter,” Zvonareva said of Bammer.

The tournament has been plagued by defeats of seeded players. The latest was third-seeded Vera Dushevina of Russia going down to countrywoman Ekaterina Bychkova 4-6, 1-6. It was Bychkova’s first win over the 40th-ranked Dushevina after losing three previous encounters.

“It was tough to play a girl from the same country. We have a good relationship,” said the 121st-ranked semifinalist from 2008.

She will play Kazakh Sesil Karatantcheva in the quarterfinal Friday.

“I’ve never played her before in the pro circuit but we used to compete in the junior. But we will surely fight hard for the semifinal,” said the 24-year-old Moscow native.