Ashleigh Barty has continued her winning form by fighting back from a set down to overcome Kazakhstani, Yulia Putintseva, 4-6 6-1 6-2 at the Madrid Open overnight.
Barty's 11th straight win sets up a showdown with French Open champion, Simona Halep, for what will be her maiden Premier clay quarter-final appearance.
Victory over the Romanian former world No.1 would be another huge scalp for the Miami Open winner, but Barty admits clay is not her favourite surface.
The Queenslander will rise to at least No.8 in the world rankings later this week, but could climb to as high as fourth if she continues her run in Madrid.
Barty's overall record this season is now 23-3, losing just once since her maiden grand slam last-eight run at the Australian Open in January.
Halep earlier defeated Viktoria Kuzmova of Slovakia 6-0 6-0, taking just 44 minutes to advance despite the appearance of rain and the court's roof having to be closed.
"(The roof) was good for me because the game was faster and I could play my best style. I think everything went very well for me today. I felt the ball, every single shot," Halep said.
"I do not think it was her best match. Maybe she (Kuzmova) was nervous before the match a little bit. It is a big tournament and it is not easy to face the top players."
– AAP
