Kuznetsova holds off plucky teen Larcher de Brito

Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia advanced to the Rogers Cup quarter-finals on Thursday in Montreal after being extended by 15-year-old Michelle Larcher de Brito.
 
Kuznetsova won by scores of 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 at Uniprix Stadium over Larcher de Brito, who moved to Florida at age nine to train with famed coach Nick Bollettieri.
 
Slovakian teen Dominika Cibulkova also advanced on Thursday, knocking off No. 12 seed Nadia Petrova of Russia 7-6 (2), 6-2.
 
Stephanie Dubois, the lone Canadian remaining in the singles draw, is scheduled to take on second seed Jelena Jankovic of Serbia Thursday afternoon.
 
Jankovic made her tournament debut on Wednesday night with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que.
 
Top seed Ana Ivanovic, looking for her second Rogers Cup title, will face Tamira Paszek of Austria in the marquee match Thursday night.
 
No. 3 seed Maria Sharapova of Russia pulled out of the tournament after her win on Wednesday due to a shoulder injury.
 
As a result of her withdrawal, Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama moves ahead to the quarter-finals. Sugiyama will await the winner of a match between No. 6 Anna Chakvetadze of Russia and Marian Bartoli of France, the 10th seed.

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