UPDATED: Czech seeds Petra Kvitova and defending champion Karolina Pliskova are through to the Brisbane International quarter-finals, following contrasting victories on Thursday.
Dual Wimbledon champion Kvitova was in imperious form in her 6-3 6-2 defeat of Russian qualifier Liudmila Samsonova, while No.2 seed Pliskova earlier overcame Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4 6-7(5) 6-1.
Fifth seed Kvitova – the 2011 Brisbane champion – converted all three break point opportunities to book her passage through in little more than an hour.
She finished with 17 winners against the 21-year-old, a first-round winner over 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens.
“It was challenging playing someone I didn’t know,” Kvitova said. “She already played a few matches before.
“She’s serving pretty well. She had a really big serve and she’s really playing pretty big from the ground strokes as well so it’s been difficult.”
Indomitable Petra 🇨🇿@Petra_Kvitova took exactly an hour to move through to the QFs, dispatching in-form qualifier #Samsonova 6-3 6-2.#BrisbaneTennis #RiseUp pic.twitter.com/FwfLnBnMxZ
— #BrisbaneTennis (@BrisbaneTennis) January 9, 2020
Kvitova will meet American qualifier Jennifer Brady, a shock straight-sets winner over top seed Ashleigh Barty.
Pliskova avoided becoming the second big-name casualty on Day 4 with a 6-4 6-7(5) 6-1 victory over Tomljanovic on Pat Rafter Arena.
The Czech had beaten Tomljanovic in a three-set quarter-final in Brisbane last year, and in a repeat of that match, she again romped through the deciding set 6-1 after her opponent had levelled.
“I think I could do better, but overall I think some stuff or the main stuff like serve was fine,” Pliskova said of her performance.
“Maybe struggling with the return. But also have to say she was serving great today so she went also for her second serves, and a lot first serves, especially in the second set.
“But I managed to wait for my chances and I think she reached some level and in the third set I got some chances, some mistakes, and I think I played just solid.”
World No.54 Tomljanovic managed to peg back a break for 4-all in the opening set, but Pliskova immediately broke and brought up set point on serve with a stunning backhand winner down the line. She took it off a Tomljanovic return error.
Both women were solid on serve throughout the second set with neither facing a break point.
Pliskova’s 10th ace took it to a tie-break and despite saving two set points on serve, the Czech surrendered the set on a netted backhand.
With a break in hand for 2-0 in the deciding set, the world No.2 put the foot down and served it out on her second match point to book a showdown with unseeded American Alison Riske, a player she has beaten seven times in eight meetings.