NEW YORK, April 6: Second seed Patty Schnyder of Switzerland cruised into the third round of the Amelia Island Tennis Tournament on Wednesday with a routine 6-2, 6-2 victory over American veteran Lisa Raymond.

On a day when a majority of seeded players eased through their second round matches, number six Elena Likhovtseva of Russia and eighth ranked Flavia Pennetta of Italy both suffered surprise defeats at the claycourt event.

Schnyder's victory sets up a match against Russian Vera Dushevina, but the Swiss world number nine was far from satisfied with her performance.

Likhovtseva was upset by Julia Schruff 6-4, 6-4, with the unseeded German moving on to play American Jill Craybas, who defeated Karolina Sprem of Croatia 6-7, 6-4, 6-1.

Fresh from her victory in Miami last week, fifth-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova struggled in her match against Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson before finally emerging with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 triumph in their second round encounter.

The former US Open champion will now meet Spain's Anabel Medina Garrigues after the 11th seed stopped Ukrainian lucky loser Olga Savchuk 6-1, 7-5.

Italy's Pennetta was woeful in her match against Elena Vesnina, the Russian romping to a 6-2, 6-2 victory to set up a last 16 match against Spain's Virginia Ruano Pascual.

Ninth seeded Dinara Safina of Russia also enjoyed a safe passage into the third round with a 6-2, 6-0 demolition of Israel's Shahar Peer 6-2, 6-0.

Seventh-seeded Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany defeated Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-4 to set up a match against Safina.

The tournament top seed Nadia Petrova was expected to be in action on Thursday, when the Russian takes on Meghann Shaughnessy after the American advanced with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Australia's Samantha Stosur on Wednesday.

Wednesday’s results:

Second round: 5-Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) bt Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden) 6-1, 5-7, 6-2; 7-Anna-Lena Groenefeld (Germany) bt Vera Zvonareva (Russia) 6-3, 6-4; Maria Elena Camerin (Italy) bt 14-Katarina Srebotnik (Slovenia) 6-4, 6-3; Elena Vesnina (Russia) bt 8-Flavia Pennetta (Italy) 6-2 ,6-1; 2-Patty Schnyder (Switzerland) bt Lisa Raymond (US) 6-2, 6-2; 9-Dinara Safina (Russia) bt Shahar Peer (Israel) 6-2, 6-0; 11-Anabel Medina (Spain) bt Olga Savchuk (Ukraine) 6-1, 7-5; Meghann Shaughnessy (US) bt Samantha Stosur (Australia) 7-5, 6-4; Vera Dushevina (Russia) bt Alona Bondarenko (Ukraine) 6-1, 6-4; Jill Craybas (US) bt Karolina Sprem (Croatia) 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-1; Julia Schruff (Germany) bt 6-Elena Likhovtseva (Russia) 6-4, 6-4; Virginia Ruano (Spain) bt Antonella Serra Zanetti (Italy) 6-4, 6-1 —Reuters