SARASOTA, Florida, April 3: French seventh seed Nathalie Dechy and 21-year-old American wild card entry Ashley Cargill booked a quarterfinal matchup at the 140,000-dollar WTA Sarasota Open with victories here Wednesday.

Dechy, whose first WTA singles title came at Gold Coast in January, outlasted Swiss standout Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4 while Cargill dispatched Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 4-6, 6-4.

Cargill is 6-8 in WTA career matches and in her first career quarter-final on the clay here in the first tuneup for next month’s French Open.

France’s Mary Pierce knocked off qualifier compatriot Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-2. The former French Open champion next faces fifth seed Elena Dementieva of Russia.

Russian qualifier Nadia Petrova got past countrywoman Elena Likhovtseva, 6-4, 6-3, and will meet another Russian in the second round, second seed Anastasia Myskina.

Second Round: Nathalie Dechy bt Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian 6-2, 6-7 (3/7), 6-4; Ansley Cargill bt Tamarine Tanasugarn 6-1, 4-6, 6-4

First Round: Mary Pierce bt Marion Bartoli 6-4, 6-2; Nadia Petrova bt Elena Likhovtseva 6-4, 6-3.—AFP