Seoul, Korea (My Sportsbook) - Russia's Maria Kirilenko moved one step closer to a successful defense of her Korea Open title with a quarterfinal victory on Friday, while top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova was eliminated.

Kirilenko knocked off fellow Russian Vera Dushevina, the seventh seed, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), to advance to Saturday's semifinals. She won't have to play the top seed and will instead take on Japanese veteran Kimiko Date Krumm, who posted a 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4 victory over Slovakia's Hantuchova.

The other semifinal will pit second-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain against Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Medina Garrigues earned a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova on Friday, while Groenefeld toppled Yung-Jan Chan of Chinese Taipei, 6-0, 2-6, 7-5.

Kirilenko, in addition to her victory at this event last year, was also the runner-up in 2007. She is bidding for her first title of 2009 and trying to reach a final for the second time, having lost to Roberta Vinci in Barcelona in April.

Krumm, a former top 10 player in the 1990s, came out of a lengthy retirement last year and played mostly on the ITF circuit. She won an ITF title this year and had lost in the first round in each of her first seven WTA-level events of 2009 before this week's run. The 38-year-old veteran turned pro in 1989 and owns seven WTA titles.

Medina Garrigues has nine career WTA singles titles, including a victory at this year's Moroccan Grand Prix in May. Groenefeld's lone victory came in 2006 in Acapulco. She was twice a semifinalist earlier this year.