Dubai, Feb 20: Defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska advanced to the quarterfinals of the Dubai Championships by beating 18-year-old Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-3 Wednesday.
Radwadnska, who struggled to adjust to slower court conditions from the previous week in Doha, was down a break in both sets.
After a five-minute rain delay in the first set, the Pole broke back to make it 4-4 and then won the set when Putintseva missed several easy shots.
Putintseva broke to go up 2-1 in the second, but Radwanska broke right back and later won three straight games to finish off the match.