HONG KONG, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- China's Yuan Yue rallied from a set down to defeat Japan's Nao Hibino 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 and advance to the quarterfinals of the WTA Hong Kong Open on Wednesday.

After losing the first set, the sixth seed trailed 3-5 in the second before winning four consecutive games to force a decider. She then closed out the match with victory in the third set over the world-ranked No. 159 player.

Yuan will now face either former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States or France's Jessika Ponchet in the quarterfinals.

The tournament was less kind to two other Chinese players, both of whom exited in the second round. Wang Xiyu squandered a 4-2 lead in the first set to fall to second-seeded Katie Boulter of Britain 7-6 (7), 6-4, while qualifier Shi Han was defeated by America's Bernarda Pera 6-0, 6-4.

Among the six Chinese competitors in this year's tournament, only Yuan has advanced to the quarterfinals. Lu Jiajing, Gao Xinyu and fourth seed Wang Xinyu were all eliminated in the first round.

Top seed Diana Schnaider of Russia also progressed smoothly, defeating Australia's Priscilla Hon 6-4, 6-1 to secure her place in the quarterfinals. Enditem

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