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Heather Watson advances to Thailand Open quarter-finals

Heather Watson advances to Thailand Open quarter-finals
© Reuters
Heather Watson books her place in the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open courtesy of a 6-3 5-7 6-4 win over South Korea's Han Na-lae.

Great Britain's Heather Watson overcame a second-set blip to defeat South Korea's Han Na-lae and progress to the quarter-finals of the Thailand Open.

The 30-year-old secured a 6-3 5-7 6-4 success in two hours and 34 minutes to set up a last-eight battle with Chinese seventh seed Wang Xinyu.

Watson immediately broke Na-lae's serve for a 2-0 lead in the opening set, but the South Korean quickly levelled the contest at 2-2 before Watson broke again in the eighth game.

The former British number one converted her first set point and would seemingly enjoy a comfortable stroll to victory after earning a double break in the second, but her opponent had other ideas.

With Watson growing increasingly frustrated, Na-lae sparked a remarkable comeback, winning five games on the spin to go 5-3 up after breaking Watson's serve three times in a row.

Heather Watson in action at the Nottingham Open on June 6, 2022© Reuters

The South Korean only needed to hold to force a third set, but Watson broke to love before crucially squandering two further chances to break in the 11th game.

The Briton was broken again by Na-lae as a third set loomed, where Watson managed to win a few more points behind her first serve after breaking in the first game.

The 30-year-old maintained her two-game advantage until Na-lae broke back to level the third set at 4-4, but the South Korean could not keep the momentum going and was broken again in the ninth.

Proceeding to bring up two match points on serve, Watson missed one before sealing her place in the quarter-finals with a delicate drop shot against the world number 176.

Should Watson get the better of Xinyu in the quarter-finals, the world number 160 will face either China's Lin Zhu or Slovenia's Tamara Zidansek for a spot in the final.

Elsewhere on Thursday, there was victory and disappointment for Ukraine, as Marta Kostyuk beat Japan's Nao Hibino, but Dayana Yastremska was comfortably defeated 6-0 6-4 by Tatjana Maria.

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