TOKYO, 7 October 2005 — Top seed Mariano Puerta, the subject of doping allegations, slumped to an embarrassing 6-2, 6-7, 7-5 defeat by Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis at the Japan Open yesterday.

The Argentine world No. 10, who denied a report by French newspaper l’Equipe that he tested positive for a banned substance during his run to this year’s French Open final, appeared distracted against the 81st-ranked Baghdatis.

US Open semifinalist Robby Ginepri cruised into the quarterfinals with a solid 6-4, 6-4 victory over Luxemborg’s Gilles Muller. Czech Radek Stepanek and American Taylor Dent reached the third round of the $860,000 tournament.

Third seed Ginepri, who lost to British teenager Andy Murray in the quarterfinals in Bangkok last week, swept aside Muller in just 70 minutes. The American will play Bjorn Phau in the last eight after the German thrashed 10th seed Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark 6-1, 6-2.

Second seed Stepanek beat fellow Czech Jiri Vanek 7-5, 6-4 in a second round match, and Dent, seeded fourth, overpowered Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov 6-3, 7-6.

Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, the seventh seed, pulverized former Australian Open runner-up Rainer Schuettler of Germany 6-1, 6-1.

Baghdatis will next play Croatia’s fifth-seeded Mario Ancic who beat Frenchman Cyril Saulnier 6-2, 6-1.

In the women’s draw, top seed Vera Zvonareva eased past Israel’s Shahar Peer 6-3, 7-5.

The Russian will play eighth seed Sania Mirza in the quarterfinals after the Indian crushed Japan’s Aiko Nakamura 6-1, 6-4. Second seed Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic easily beat Japan’s Rika Fujiwara 6-4 6-2, and No. 3 Tatiana Golovin thrashed another Japanese player, Saori Obata, 6-1, 6-4. Fourth-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko, who won her first WTA title in Beijing last month, eased past Slovakian Henrieta Nagyova 6-4, 6-2 to reach the last eight.

Mauresmo, Petrova Brush

Past ‘Flu-Hit Opponents

In Filderstadt, Germany, Amelie Mauresmo and Nadia Petrova earned easy victories over ‘flu-stricken opponents to reach the quarterfinals of the Filderstadt Grand Prix yesterday.

Sixth-seeded Petrova won 6-1, 6-1 against fellow Russian Elena Likhovtseva and third seed Mauresmo of France was 6-0 up when her Serbian opponent Jelena Jankovic retired after losing the first three points of the second set.

Likhovtseva, who had previously won three of her five meetings with Petrova, had an early opportunity to take the lead, but failed to convert two break points at 1-0. From then on Petrova was never troubled.

She broke to lead 2-1 when Likhovtseva made a backhand error and after a fine forehand volley gave Petrova a second break for 4-1 Likhovtseva summoned the trainer and a doctor.