Kirilenko Upsets Koukalova in Korea as American Gibbs Reaches First Career Quarterfinal

Maria Kirilenko of Russia moved into the quarterfinals of the Korea Open on Thursday, knocking off third-seeded Czech Klara Koukalova 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-0. The win marks the first time she has won back-to-back matches since last September as she continues her comeback from a knee injury that forced her out of the first three months of this season. 

Things didn’t look good early on for the 27-year-old Russian as she dropped the first set in a tie-breaker. She rebounded nicely, though, and opened up a 5-1 lead in the second frame before Koukalova rallied to make it 5-4. The Czech even had a chance to even the set up with a double break point, but Kirilenko stood firm and notched a key hold to force the match into a deciding third set.

From there, the match belonged to her. She won six straight games to close out Koukalova and move into her first quarterfinal since last June. The Russian won this tournament back in 2008 and holds a 16-6 record in Seoul.

“I’ve been here so many times. The thing I like the most about the tournament is the people,” said Kirilenko of being comfortable at the South Korean tournament. “They are all very nice. I have so many fans here. But I also love the conditions for practicing—they have so many courts for us. And the hotel is very nice. I just really love everything here.”

The knee injury that slowed down Kirilenko’s play dropped her ranking significantly, even knocking her out of the top 100 at one point. She has worked her way back into the top 100, currently at 90, and a tournament win here would go a long way towards her comeback.

“To be honest, because I had an injury for awhile, my ranking went down,” she said. “However it’s not a problem for me. I already know if I start playing well again, my ranking will be going up again.”

In the quarters, she will meet sixth-seeded Estonian Kaia Kanepi, who also came back from a set down in her second-round match. Kanepi ousted Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Fourth-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova also moved into the quarterfinals on Thursday as she beat Yanina Wickmayer 6-2, 6-2. She will play American Christina McHale next.

Another American is into the final eight in Seoul also, as Nicole Gibbs reached her first career quarterfinal on Wednesday. The Cincinnati native, who is currently on the verge of being in the top 100, took down Danka Kovinic 1-6, 6-4,  7-6(5) in a matchup of qualifiers.