BEIJING (AFP) - China's lowly-ranked Na Li played the match of her career against US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova before finally falling in a gruelling three-set battle at the 585,000-dollar China Open.
Second seed Kuznetsova from Russia, who this month has claimed back-to-back victories in New York and Bali, faced a tough match against crowd favourite and world number 193 at the Beijing tennis centre.
Her 6-3, 6-7 (8-6), 7-6 (7-3) victory put the 19-year-old into a Friday quarter-final against Argentine sixth seed Gisela Dulko.
Like top seed Serena Williams 24 hours earlier, Kuznetsova had trouble closing out against an inspired lesser-ranked opponent.
The Chinese woman saved three match points in a tight second set to force a tie-breaker, which she won. The third set also went to a tie-breaker.
"I had to play well in the end," said the Russian. "I just didn't know what to do (on court)."
Li, 22, who ranked a career-high 123 four years ago, has impressed at home at the lower levels of the game, winning four ITF titles in China this season.
This week was her first main draw appearance at WTA level since Shanghai three years ago.
Kuznetsova, ranked fifth in the world, owns three titles this season, starting her 2004 trophy collection at Eastbourne the week before Wimbledon.
In other matches, seventh seed Jelena Jankovic overwhelmed Russian qualifier Vera Douchevina 6-1, 6-3 to book a quarter-final match-up with Wimbledon winner Maria Sharapova.
Jankovic, from Serbia-Montenegro, earned her 27th victory of a busy season in which she has played 24 events.
The win books world number 36 Jankovic into a clash with the current teenage queen of the game Sharapova, who has played only one match here to reach the last eight after a bye.
Fourth seed Vera Zvonareva, one of six Russians who have competed at this inaugural edition of the tournament, defeated Swiss qualifier Emmanuelle Gagliardi 6-2, 6-3.
Zvonareva next faces Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues after reaching her eleventh quarter-final of a year in which she also won an indoor title at Memphis.
Williams will play Russian fifth seed Nadia Petrova, who beat Sandra Mamic of Croatia 6-3, 6-3.