Kimiko Date-Krumm and Vitalia Diatchenko remain on course to potentially become the first-ever repeat singles champions at the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge after the pair booked their placed in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old Date-Krumm, who clinched the Dubai title two years ago, secured a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the second round clash.
The Japanese veteran, who has slipped to No115 in the world due to some poor results and a hip injury in the last two months, will take on Romanian Andreea Mitu in the last eight on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, recently-crowned Taipei champion and Dubai No7 seed, Vitalia Diatchenko, advanced to the quarter-finals with a smooth 6-3, 6-0 win over Germany’s Dinah Pfizenmaier.
The 24-year-old Russian, who missed almost two years (2012-2013) of tennis with a knee injury, is climbing her way up the rankings and has had a great last few months, reaching the quarter-finals in the WTA event in Moscow as a qualifier before winning the $125K tournament in Taipei last Sunday.
The 2008 Dubai champion is now ranked No77 in the world.
Her opponent in the last eight today is the second-seeded Belgian Alison van Uytvanck, who came back from a set down to defeat Renata Voracova 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0.
There were mixed fortunes for the Ukrainian Kichenok twins with Nadiia moving on to the quarter-finals 7-6 (2), 7-5 over Carina Witthoeft but her sister Lyudmyla stumbling to a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to An-Sophie Mestach.
Second round Results:
Vitalia DIATCHENKO [7] bt Dinah PFIZENMAIER 6-3, 6-0
Alexandra PANOVA bt Viktoriya TOMOVA 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3)
Andreea MITU bt Nicoleta-Catalina DASCALU 7-5, 6-4
Nadiia KICHENOK bt Carina WITTHOEFT [5] 7-6(2), 7-5
Alison VAN UYTVANCK [2] bt Renata Voracova 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0
Alexandra DULGHERU [6] bt Laura POUS-TIO 6-0, 6-0
Kimiko DATE-KRUMM bt Lourdes DOMINGUEZ LINO 6-1, 6-4
An-Sophie MESTACH bt Lyudmyla KICHENOK 6-4, 6-4
Schedule
Court 1
12:00 Alexandra PANOVA v Nadiia KICHENOK
Court 3
11:00 Vitalia DIATCHENKO [7] v Alison VAN UYTVANCK [2]
15:30 Alexandra DULGHERU [6] v An-Sophie MESTACH
Followed by Kimiko DATE-KRUMM v Andreea MITU