Mauresmo, Ivanovic Victorious in Antwerp

The feature evening match pitted top seed Amélie Mauresmo against her talented countrywoman Virginie Razzano, a qualifier into the main draw, and the contest couldn't have been closer. Mauresmo was forced to come back from a 5-2 deficit in the first set tie-break and a 4-1 hole in the second set during an exciting 76(6) 75 victory, her third in the pair's three career encounters.

Mauresmo is now one step closer to the Proximus Diamond Games' diamond-studded racquet, which is presented to a player that wins three titles at the $600,000 event over the course of five years. The Frenchwoman has captured the title in both of the last two years, winning three set finals against Venus Williams in 2005 and against Belgium's own Kim Clijsters last year.

Next up for the two-time defending champion will be No.6-seeded Dinara Safina, who reached the quarterfinals Wednesday with a win over Michaella Krajicek.

Should Mauresmo make it past Safina she'd take on the winner of an all-Russian quarterfinal pitting Nadia Petrova against Anna Chakvetadze. No.3 seed Petrova was a 76(2) 64 winner over another Russian, Vera Zvonareva, on Thursday, while Chakvetadze won a three-setter against Sybille Bammer on Wednesday.

Ana Ivanovic and Elena Likhovsteva also made it to the quarterfinals Thursday. Ivanovic, seeded No.8, got past Nathalie Dechy, 63 67(2) 62, while Likhovtseva advanced when No.4 seed Dementieva retired due to a rib injury trailing 62 11.

On Friday, Ivanovic will face No.2 seed Clijsters and Likhovtseva squares off against fellow non-seed Tatiana Golovin.

Quarterfinal Friday begins at 12pm local time with Petrova and Chakvetadze and Mauresmo against Safina; the night session, beginning at 7:30pm local time, features Clijsters against Ivanovic and Golovin against Likhovtseva. (WTA)