(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The youngest and the oldest players were among those still in the fray as the quarterfinal line-up of the 28^th Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge was finalised on Thursday.

Now 41, former world No. 2 Vera Zvonoreva had earned her spot in the quarterfinals with a straight-set win against Czech qualifier Tereza Martincova late on Wednesday.

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And on Thursday, 16-year-old British qualifier Mika Stojsavljevic dug in deep for a hard-fought win in three sets against third-seed Sinja Kraus.

Stojsavljevic – one of eight qualifiers here - recovered from a slow start to earn a hard-fought 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Austrian Sinja Kraus in under two hours and get prepared for her maiden quarterfinal meeting against world No. 168, Iatcenko.

A wild card entrant here this week, Zvonareva's opponent in the last eight will be a second qualifier Sofya Lansere, who eased past a tricky Mananchaya Sawangkaew of Thailand, while 2024 US Open girls champion Stojsavljevic will take on Polina Iatcenko.

Last week's Fujairah W75 champion Petra Marcinko and Arantxa Rus, who are the last two seeds left in the draw, will be up against each other on Friday, while China's Xinyu Gao will face Fujairah runner-up Alevtina Ibragimova to complete the quarterfinal line-up.

Caving in to several unforced errors in the opening set, Stojsavljevic affirmed that she has a lot to learn heading deeper into this tournament.“I lost focus briefly during that first set. I knew the level was there, and I had to just go back to the basics,” she admitted.

“I need to learn that such things need not happen. It is all within my control. I need make less mistakes and I have to be more focused on my game, and ensure that I take the chances that come my way,” Stojsavljevic added.

Waiting eagerly to knock off former world No. 2 Zvonareva was fellow Russian Sofya Lansere. Playing with a left strapped thigh, Lansere was pleased with her form against former top-100 player Sawangkaew.

“This win is so important to me. I knew I was a bit too nervous out there, and the key was not to think too much, but take things point by point,” Lansere said.

And coming through the qualifying has also helped as the 25-year-old from Moscow braced for her next challenge against countrywoman Zvonareva.“She's (Zvonareva) has been an amazing player in our sport. This will be the strongest match for me and I will be there to win it. We shall see the result when the time comes, but in the meantime, I will have to use each point as a learning lesson. After all, it is part of the process,” she added.

Also looking to take things forward was Alevtina Ibragimova, who ended runner-up to Petra Marcinko at the Fujairah W75 tournament last weekend.“I am feeling good here this week. The idea is to commit less mistakes as I go deeper into this event,” the 20-year-old Russian stated.

“Fujairah has given me a lot of positive emotions along with the experience, and I can see that I am a much better player today than compared to last week,” she added.

“Playing against Asian [China's Xinyu Gao] players can be tricky in this part of the world. It is going to be a good match,” Ibragimova predicted.

Friday's quarterfinal action will commence at 10.30 am with Stojsavljevic facing Iatcenko on court No. 1, while Ibragimova will take on Gao on court No. 2. Entry for the event is free.

Results: (Singles) Mika Stojsavljevic bt Sinja Kraus 4-6, 6-1, 6-3; Sofya Lansere bt Mananchaya Sawangkaew 6-3, 6-3; Petra Marcinko bt Harriet Dart 6-1, 3-6, 6-1; Alevtina Ibragimova bt Linda Fruhvirtova 6-4, 6-3. (Doubles) Xinyu Gao/Mananchaya Sawangkaew bt Sinja Kraus/Arantxa Rus 6-0, 6-4; Rada Zolotareva/Vera Zvonareva bt Emily Appleton/Prarthana G. Thombare 6-4, 7-6 (2).

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