Number one seed Serena Williams progressed to the quarterfinals of the China Open with a straight-sets victory over Maria Kirilenko.
Williams saw off her Russian opponent 7-5, 7-5 on Thursday to set up a match against Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in the last eight of the WTA Premier hard-court tournament.
Kirilenko wasted three set points on her own serve at 5-4 in the first set, before the American broke and reeled off the next two games to take the lead.
The unseeded 26-year-old hit back to secure a break of her own in the fifth game of the second set, but Williams surged back in eighth before once again breaking Kirilenko in the final game to seal the triumph.
Sixth seed Wozniacki ensured her progress with a 6-3, 6-1 success over 11th seed Sloane Stephens of the United States.
Wozniacki clinched the first break of serve in the sixth game of the first set, only to see Stephens break back immediately.
The Dane responded with yet another break, before holding her serve in the next game to give herself the advantage.
The second set was more one sided. Wozniacki broke her American opponent three times on her way to victory.
Third seed Agnieszka Radwanska also progressed to the last eight thanks to a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Slovenia's Polona Hercog.
Radwanska blitzed her opponent in the first set before the pair broke each other early in the second.
The Pole had the final say, however, winning three consecutive games—including two breaks of serve—to clinch the match and set up a quarterfinal showdown with Angelique Kerber.
The seventh seed from Germany went through courtesy of a 6-2, 6-4 win over Roberta Vinci of Italy. VIDEO
Kerber broke her opponent twice to take a 4-1 lead in the first set, before Vinci replied with a break of her own.
The German was not to be denied, however, breaking back immediately before serving out to take a one-set lead.
In the second set, Kerber made the crucial breakthrough in the fifth game before serving out to love in the final game to seal victory.
Eighth seed Jelena Jankovic from Serbia blew away Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 6-0, 6-0 in just one hour on court, while Czech Lucie Safarovabeat Germany's Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-1).