Third seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta shook off her own jet-lag to reach the quarter-finals of the Commonwealth Bank Classic on Thursday despite a distracting injury timeout from flagging opponent Anastasia Rodionova.

US Open quarter-finalist Pennetta was fuming as the 77th-ranked Russian took a 4-0 lead in the second set, then began feeling ill and calling for the trainer.

With her margin cut to 5-4, Rodionova took treatment with her legs raised onto a courtside chair as the trainer applied ice packs to her body.

The halt in play did little to calm Pennetta, who eventually fired her seventh ace to end the agony after just over 90 minutes and move ahead.

"If you are unable to play you should not stay on the court," said the winner. "I was angry.

"Those last three or four games were not nice for us of the public," added number 16. "The match was also tough for me but I didn't call for the trainer."

Pennetta said that she felt the weight of a long flight from the US Open as she was barely able to breathe as she fell behind in the second set.

But once Rodionova began to fade, the European seed's energy returned.

"It is very humid and hot. I'm still getting over the jet-lag, waking up early and wanting to go back to the bed in the afternoon," Pennetta said.

"I'm here alone without a coach and I'm just working match-by-match. I'm tired but I want to go farther at this event."

Taiwan's Chan Yung-Jan moved into the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 7-5 defeat of China's Peng Shuai.