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Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova crushed top seed Vera Zvonareva 6-0 6-2 in the second round of the Kremlin Cup, eliminating the Russian from the season-ending tournament in Doha.

Defeat for the world number seven enabled Serbia's Jelena Jankovic to clinch the last remaining spot in next week's WTA championships regardless of her own progress in Moscow.

Last year's Kremlin Cup champion Jankovic takes on Czech Lucie Safarova in second-round action later on Thursday.

Zvonareva's loss continued the cull of seeds at the annual indoor tournament, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

For world number 126 Pironkova it was only her fourth win of the year on the main tour and the first since April.

The 22-year-old will now contest her first quarter-final of the season, where she will meet Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko who knocked out Russia's fifth seed Nadia Petrova on Wednesday.

Jankovic stayed on course to defend her Kremlin Cup title with a 7-6 6-3 victory over Czech Lucie Safarova to reach the quarter-finals where she will meet unseeded Russian Alisa Kleybanova.

Zvonareva's loss continued the cull of seeds at the annual indoor tournament, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Men's top seed Nikolay Davydenko was also sent packing by fellow Russian Marat Safin in the first round on Wednesday.

Jankovic said she was not thinking of easing up after clinching the place in Doha.

"No, I came here to compete and I want to get as many (ranking) points as possible and get closer to the girls who are (ranked) higher than me," said Serbia's world number nine.

"It was very important for me to qualify for the Championships because the tournament is only for the top eight players and I want to have a chance to compete against the best."

Zvonareva, however, was not too disappointed to miss out on the $4.55 million extravaganza.

"I'm happy my season is over," the world number seven, who has been nursing a long-term ankle injury, told a news conference.

"Now I'll have enough time to recover and get ready for a new season."

Pironkova, 22, was overjoyed with her victory, only her fourth of the year on the main tour and the first since April.

"This is the biggest win ever for me, definitely," said the world number 126, who will face Ukraine's Alona Bondarenko in the last eight.

"Vera is a great player and was the top seed here so I'm very happy with the way I played. The score was a surprise for me but I enjoyed it a lot."

WTA Moscow quarter-finals: Friday 23rd October 10am LIVE on British Eurosport (Sky 410 / Virgin Media 521); Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe.

Reuters