• Pilot Pen

Dementieva digs deep to progress in Pilot Pen

Marion Bartoli showed great defensive skills to repel the threat of Anastasia Rodionova © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Dementieva continues her run with tough win over Bartoli
  
• News: Wickmayer crashes out at New Haven
  
• Profile: Elena Dementieva | Flavia Pennetta

Elena Dementieva was forced to pull out all the stops to ensure she overcame Kateryna Bondarenko at the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament.

Dementieva, a two-time Grand Slam runner-up, edged the first set via a tie-break, but the second set proved just as tough. Bondarenko looked certain to take it when serving at 5-4 - only for Dementieva to break back.

Having levelled at 5-5, the momentum appeared to be with the Russian, but Bondarenko wasn't about to roll over and she duly broke immediately.

The frantic finish to the set wasn't over yet as Dementieva earned a break to force a tie-break, with Bondarenko showing her resilience to take it 7-5. But the fourth seed showed the hallmarks of a champion to carve an opening in the decider to eventually win in just over three hours.

There were no such problems for top seed Caroline Wozniacki, who cruised to a 6-4 6-1 win over lucky loser Dominika Cibulkova. There were only 41 years of age on court but plenty of class on the part of world No.2 Wozniacki, who beat Cibulkova for the fourth time from five meetings.

Flavia Pennetta also had an easy time of it as the seventh seed needed only an hour to blast her way past Olga Govortsova 6-3 6-2. The Italian fired down eight aces during a one-sided affair, with the victory taking her year to date win/loss ratio to 43/18.

Sixth seed Marion Bartoli cruised into the third round with a brilliant rearguard showing against Anastasia Rodionova.

Bartoli, who is yet to win a title in 2010, showed little sign of fatigue following her comeback win over Alona Bondarenko, as she made her Russian-born Australian opponent pay for wasting numerous chances to break serve.

The qualifier found Bartoli's defence almost impenetrable - converting only one of her 12 opportunities to break the Italian. Bartoli was far from her best but her first serve got her out of trouble on several occasions to help set up her 6-3 6-1 victory.

Nadia Petrova showed her class in a 6-3 6-2 demolition of America's Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The world No. 19 broke her opponent four times in total to advance to the third round in style.

Wildcard Dinara Safina beat Daniela Hantuchova 7-6(4) 7-6(2), while Maria Kirilenko thrashed Timea Bacsinszky 6-3 6-1.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.