Daria Gavrilova has positioned herself nicely for a run at the China Open with an upset win over US Open semi-finalist Coco Vandeweghe.
Her Australian No.1 ranking under siege from Ashleigh Barty, Gavrilova responded with a significant second-round victory over the Pat Cash-coached Vandeweghe.
Gavrilova was leading 6-3 2-0 on Tuesday when the seeded American retired with a back injury.
The 23-year-old next plays Czech Barbora Strycova - a 6-4 6-2 victor over Julia Goerges - for the right to take the path of eliminated top seed and world No.1 Garbine Muguruza.
Every win in Beijing is huge for Gavrilova and Barty as they chase spots in the season-ending Elite Trophy, which will feature players ranked from ninth to 20th who missed out on the eight-player WTA Championships in Singapore.
Gavrilova and Barty - fresh from her charge to last week's Wuhan Open final - are separated by just one place in the rankings at 22nd and 23rd in the world respectively.
But Barty's breakout season - which has also included a maiden WTA title in Kuala Lumpur - has helped the former Wimbledon junior champion to 19th in the Race to Singapore, above Gavrilova in 22nd spot.
Gavrilova's victory on Tuesday came as world No.2 Simona Halep booked a blockbuster third-round showdown with five-time grand slam champion Maria Sharapova and fourth seed Karolina Pliskova powered to a 6-4 6-4 win over Andrea Petkovic.
Halep was leading Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1 2-1 when the Slovak retired, while Sharapova's 6-4 4-6 6-1 win over Ekaterina Makarova was her eighth in a row against her fellow Russian.
Ranked just outside the top 100 as she continues her comeback from a 15-month doping ban, Sharapova has won all previous seven meetings with Halep.
The pair's latest encounter will be a re-run of a US Open first-round clash in New York a month ago.
"We know each other's games very well. That's no secret," said Sharapova, the 2014 champion who needed a wildcard into this year's event.
"They've always been very challenging (matches); tough, competitive, emotional."
Another returning star, 12th-seeded two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, also progressed to the last 16, ousting Varvara Lepchenko 6-4 6-4.
In other second-round matches, Daria Kasatkina defeated Lara Arruabarrena Vecino 6-4 7-5 and Elena Vesnina beat local wildcard Duan Yingying 6-3 6-2.
Barty faces third seed Elina Svitolina on Wednesday, with the winner to meet Vesnina for a place in the quarter-finals.
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