Seoul, Korea (SportsNetwork.com) - Maria Kirilenko knocked off third-seeded Klara Koukalova of the Czech Republic to reach the quarterfinals of the Korea Open.
Kirilenko rallied for a 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 6-0 victory to advance past the second round of a tournament for the first time in eight events this year. She missed the first three months of the season recovering from a knee injury.
The 27-year-old Russian won the Seoul title in 2008 and was the runner-up in 2007. She last reached a quarterfinal at the WTA level in June 2013 at Eastbourne.
Kirilenko will next play sixth-seeded Kaia Kanepi, who also came back from a set down to post a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win over Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic. Kanepi, the 2012 Seoul runner-up from Estonia, has never beaten Kirilenko in three previous meetings. The two haven't met since 2010 and one of the matchups came in the Seoul semifinals in 2008.
Fourth-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia cruised past Belgium's Yanina Wickmayer, 6-2, 6-2, and American Nicole Gibbs stormed back after a disastrous first set to claim a 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) win over fellow qualifier Danka Kovinic of Montenegro.
Rybarikova will face American Christine McHale in Friday's quarterfinals, while Gibbs will take on Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova. The remaining quarterfinal will feature defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland against American Varvara Lepchenko.
The top-seeded Radwanska defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in last year's final in Seoul.
This year's champion will claim $111,389.
