China's Wang Qiang reaches quarterfinals in WTA Shenzhen Open

SHENZHEN, China - No 4 seed Wang Qiang advanced to the WTA Shenzhen Open quarterfinals after overcoming Aliaksandra Sasnovich in a rollercoaster match here on Wednesday.

Wang, the only one Chinese player left standing in the singles, bested the Belarusian 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (5) in two hours and 10 minutes.

"I did very well in the first set but my opponent played aggressively in the second and I was under pressure, " Wang said after the match.

The world No 28 managed to break Sasnovich twice to win the first set. But the Belarusian overwhelmed her in the second while Wang suffered in services. Sasnovich continued her momentum and broke Wang in the fourth game to build a 3-1 lead, only to see the 27-year old kept her composure to break back in the seventh game and triumph the tie-break.

"I thought I had to change my strategy. My coach advised me to hit the ball toward her forehand area and it worked." Wang said.

Wang will take on No 5 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the quarterfinals, who beat Peng Shuai of China 7-6 (7), 6-1.

Earlier in the day, former No 1 Garbine Muguruza beat Shelby Rogers 6-1, 7-6 (2) to meet Zarina Diyas in the quarters who upset Anna Blinkova 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.