PARIS, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo beat French compatriot Nathalie Dechy 6-3, 6-2 to reach the Open Gaz de France quarterfinals on Thursday.

    Mauresmo, whose defense of the Australian Open title ended in the fourth round, has been a finalist five times in Paris, and won in 2001 and 2006.

    "It wasn't easy, because Nathalie had already played a match here," Mauresmo said. "But from the middle of the first set my play was solid and aggressive."

    On Friday she meets eighth-seeded Anna Chakvetadze of Russia, who struggled past Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.     

    Lucie Safarova, who beat Mauresmo in Melbourne, upset fellow Czech, fifth-seeded Nicole Vaidisova, 6-4, 6-2, two weeks after Vaidisova won their clash in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

    Fourth-seeded Nadia Petrova cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Martina Mueller of Germany, and Tatiana Golovin of France defeated qualifier Ekaterina Bychkova of Russia 6-4, 6-4. Golovin, a semifinalist in all three previous appearances in Paris, next faces top-seeded Justine Henin.