Roberta Vinci battled back from a set and a break down to beat Annika Beck 3-6 6-3 6-3 and set up a quarter-final showdown with Heather Watson.
The Italian, seeded No.9 at the Hobart International, paid the price for some loose serving in the opening set as Beck took full advantage, winning eight of 12 points off Vinci’s second serve in the opening set.
Things looked bleak for the 31-year-old when Beck secured another break early in the second set, but from 3-0 down Vinci claimed the next six games, finally dialling in her forehand to unleash her attacking game.
“I’m happy. I played much better in the second and third sets, tried to stay focused and aggressive, especially when I was down,” Vinci said.
“I cannot play slowly because I’m not the fastest. This is the key, that I play aggressive, go to the net, play some drop shots.”
Beck stemmed the tide with a break at the start of the final set but Vinci quickly clawed it back, securing the odd break in five to grab the win in 91 minutes.
Earlier in the day, Kurumi Nara rode out a stern first-set examination from qualifier Johanna Larsson before easing to a 7-6(1) 6-4 win.
Larsson went toe-to-toe with the Japanese No.1 for a dozen games before reacting ferociously to a netted backhand early in the tiebreak. Nara capitalised, winning the breaker without dropping another point.
The world No.73 traded breaks with Nara early in the second but a third break proved her undoing, the world No.43 serving out the win in one hour 44 minutes.
“I’m very happy – today was a very tough match,” Nara said. “It’s good preparation for Melbourne.”
In the doubles, Cara Black was forced to retire while she and Saisai Zheng, the tournament top seeds were trailing 3-0 against Vitalia Diatchenko and Monica Niculescu. The former world No.1 was struck by illness and withdrew after a medical assessment on court.
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni and Lisa Raymond were forced to hand Aussie duo Alexandra Nancarrow and Storm Sanders a walkover after the Croatian confirmed she had not recovered from the leg injury that forced her to retire in the singles.
The night session was cancelled due to rain, postponing Camila Giorgi’s showdown with Kaia Kanepi.