Mauresmo takes step closer to million-euro prize

ANTWERP, Belgium, Feb 15 (Reuters) Top seed Amelie Mauresmo moved closer to a million-euro prize today with a 7-6 7-5 victory over compatriot Virginie Razzano in the second round at the Diamond Games.

The French world number three is aiming to take home a diamond studded racket worth one million euros (1.30 million dollar) which is awarded for three title wins in five years following her back-to-back victories in Antwerp in 2005 and 2006.

Mauresmo never looked in trouble against Razzano, ranked more than 80 places below her, despite a slight fight-back by her opponent in the second set and sealed a quarter-final spot against Russia's Dinara Safina on Friday.

Third seed Nadia Petrova won the first of two all-Russian affairs when she dispatched Vera Zvonareva 7-6 6-4 to set up a quarter-final meeting with another Russian, Anna Chakvetadze, seeded seven.

The other all-Russian tie ended with a surprise victory for Elena Likhovtseva over fourth seed Elena Dementieva who was forced to retire in the second set with a rib injury.

Likhovtseva, who plays France's Tatiana Golovin in the last eight, had taken the first set 6-2.

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