Caroline Wozniacki looked a clear title favourite in Auckland as she demolished Christina McHale to reach the quarter-finals of the ASB Classic.
Wozniacki had lost the first four games of her opening-round match before rallying, but was on form from the start against McHale and breezed to a 6-0 6-2 victory.
The Dane, who next plays Romania's Alexandra Dulgheru, is the highest seed remaining following losses for defending champion Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic in round one.
Williams' conqueror Daria Kasatkina could not build on her big win, losing 7-5 2-6 7-5 to Japan's Nao Hibino, but Naomi Broady followed up her victory over Ivanovic by defeating Jelena Ostapenko in a fiery encounter.
Briton Broady fought back from a set and 2-5 down then trailed 1-5 in the deciding set before winning 4-6 7-6 (7/4) 7-5 and reach her second WTA Tour quarter-final.
During the second-set tie-break, Latvian Ostapenko appeared to throw her racquet and hit a ball boy.
Broady called for her opponent to be disqualified, but Ostapenko argued the racquet had slipped out of her hand and was let off with a warning. The pair exchanged heated words at the net after the match.
Broady will play fifth seed Sloane Stephens in the last eight after the American defeated Carina Witthoeft 3-6 6-1 6-3.
Two more seeds fell, with qualifier Tamira Paszek beating Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-3 while Germany's Julia Goerges was a 6-4 7-6 (9/7) winner over Barbora Strycova.
Source: PA
