QUEBEC CITY, Canada (AFP) - French top seed Mary Pierce advanced to the quarter-finals of the upset-plagued WTA tournament here with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Argentina's Mariana Diaz-Oliva.
Pierce, who reached the semi-finals here last year, is the only player among the top eight to reach the quarter-finals as two more seeds fell Thursday.
In Friday's quarter-finals, Pierce takes on Russian Alina Jidkova, who ousted Canadian Stephanie Dubois, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/5).
Qualifier Abigail Spears routed No. 4 seed Jill Craybas 6-1, 6-2, in an all-US battle, and Slovakia's Martina Sucha drubbed No. 6 seed Claudine Schaul of Luxembourg 6-3, 6-0.
Bulgaria's Sesil Karatantcheva also reached the final eight in the 170,000-dollar indoor tournament with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over American Shenay Perry.
In Friday's other quarter-finals, Spears faces Slovakia's Lubomira Kurhajcova, Sucha takes on Karatantcheva and Argentina's Maria-Emilia Salerni battles Canadian Melanie Gloria.
Gloria upset second seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia in the second round Wednesday.
11/05/2004 - 05:24 GMT - AFP