St Petersburg, Russia, 2 February 2017 | tennis.com.au

Russian third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova proved too strong for Daria Gavrilova once again after beating the Aussie in the second round of the St Petersburg Ladies Trophy.

Kuznetsova beat Gavrilova 6-1 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the WTA Premier event, where she will next face Yulia Putintseva.

Putintseva overcame German Annika Beck for the loss of just four games.

Gavrilova’s loss means the 22-year-old Melburnian has lost all four of her career meetings with the two-time major champion.

Kuznetsova also beat Gavrilova four months ago in the Moscow final, Gavrilova’s first appearance in a WTA title match.