Emma Raducanu took a straight-sets win over Yanina Wickmayer in the last 16 of the Korea Open.
The win sets Raducanu up for a quarter-final against Poland’s Magda Linette.
She eased to a 6-3 7-5 victory over Belgium’s Wickmayer in one hour and 40 minutes.
In Seoul, Raducanu displayed the resolve needed to overcome a fightback from Wickmayer as a 4-1 lead in the second set ebbed away.
Former world number 12 Wickmayer had dropped to 460 in the rankings after taking a spell out of the game following the birth of her first child in 2021, but she was a dangerous opponent who grew stronger in the match.
Raducanu was unable to make the most of a break point in the third game but she dominated the fifth, winning without dropping a point to gain a crucial foothold in the opening set.
Yet her earlier composure deserted her when next serving and she double-faulted at the crucial moment to concede the lead.
But Wickmayer wobbled on her serve once again and Raducanu took full control of the ninth, taking the set through a mixture of commanding shots and errors from her opponent.
It took grit, an ace and an excellent forehand for Raducanu to preserve her advantage as the second set opened with an 11-minute game and in a flash, she had eased 3-0 ahead.
A collapse followed as 3-0 became 4-3 and despite a superb backhand passing shot executed on the run, Raducanu was coming under heavy pressure from the determined Belgian.
Every point had become a battleground but match point arrived in the 12th and when Wickmayer sent a shot long, Raducanu was through to the last eight.
