Venus Williams has won through to the ASB Classic quarter-finals with a comfortable straight-sets victory over 2017 champion Lauren Davis.
The 6-4, 6-3 result could mean a final eight showdown with tournament top seed Caroline Wozniacki, if the Dane can get past Canadian qualifier Bianca Andreescu late on Thursday night.
Viktoria Kuzmova joins Williams in the quarter-finals, after a three-set win over American Sofia Kenin in Auckland.
The 20-year-old Slovakian's success was based on a powerful service game that led to free points numbering in double-figures.
Kuzmova took the first set 7-5, before the 20-year-old Florida native fought back to win the second frame by the same score-line.
But Kenin faded midway through the deciding set, dropping serve just the once, but enough to fall to defeat, 6-3 in the third.
Kuzmova will play the 17-year-old Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals. The young American eased by fifth seed Barbara Strycova in straight sets.
Anisimova is the only teenager in the world's top 100, but the world number 96 still needed wildcard dispensation from the organisers to make the main draw.
Only the top 89-ranked players made the initial cut.
Newshub.
