Novak Djokovic remained on course to reclaim his China Open title as he progressed to the quarter-finals on Thursday, while women’s top seed Serena Williams also edged into the last eight. The top seeded Serb needed three sets to defeat Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 2-6, 6-2, while Williams claimed victory over Maria Kirilenko in two unconvincing sets, with the scores finishing 7-5, 7-5. Djokovic took the first set of his second round match with relative ease, but his unbeaten run in Beijing stretching back to 2009 looked to be in danger when his Spanish opponent took the second set 6-2. He started brightly in the third, breaking Verdasco at the first attempt to race to a 3-0 lead and again in the final game. In the women’s tournament, world number one Serena Williams was forced to summon extra strength at the end of each of her two sets as her Russian opponent became increasingly aggressive. Kirilenko was poised to claim the first set at 40-0 up with the score at 5-4 in her favour, but after missing three set points, Williams stepped up a gear to overturn the scoreline. The top seed was also forced to come from behind in the second set, with Kirilenko, a former winner in Beijing in 2005, leading 4-3.
