The 19-year-old Lisicki reached the third round of this year's Australian Open before making her first quarterfinal appearance at a WTA event in Cincinnati in August.
"My goal at the beginning (of the season) was to get into the top 100, but my performance and the rankings are more than a bonus, as I am now around 64,'' Lisicki said. "My immediate goal is to be a top-50 player by the end of 2008.''
Lisicki said she was rusty in the first set against Panova.
"But as the match progressed I was feeling more comfortable and looked forward to doing well,'' Lisicki said.
Fifth-seeded Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia also reached the quarterfinals, beating Vesna Manasieva of Russia 6-1, 7-5, while Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania rallied to beat Kyrgyz qualifier Ksenia Palkina 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
Dutch teenager Arantxa Rus, who qualified for the tournament, beat Uzbek wild card Vlada Ekshibarova 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a first-round match that was postponed from Tuesday because of heavy rain.
Lisicki reaches second round at Tashkent Open
Duscher: Salzburg Must Be Taken Seriously
