Katie Boulter continued her strong end to the season with victory over Wang Xiyu to reach the quarter-finals of the Hong Kong Tennis Open.
Second seed Boulter had to save a set point in a very tight opener before battling her way to a 7-6 (7) 6-4 victory.
After saving five break points in the third game, Boulter dropped serve two games later but recovered to make it 4-4 amid a run of 12 points in a row.
Wang, 23, had the first chance in the tie-break but Boulter held firm, taking her second set point, and she hit back strongly after losing a break advantage in the second set to book her spot in the last eight.
“That was quite the match,” said the British number one in her on-court interview.
“She’s an incredible opponent, never lets up. Credit to her, she just keeps hitting and she’s so talented. She made me work very hard today, which I’m not that happy about to be honest.
“She’s got a bright future ahead of her, that’s for sure. I just had to stay there as much as I possibly could and I’m proud of myself today.”
Boulter will now look to match last week’s run to the semi-finals in Tokyo when she takes on either Varvara Gracheva or Tatiana Prozorova.
