Iga Swiatek beats Magdalena Frech to reach round of 16 at Wuhan Open

WUHAN, China -- Iga Swiatek advanced to the round of 16 at the Wuhan Open with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Magdalena Frech on Wednesday.

The six-time major winner started slowly against her Polish compatriot, dropping an early service game and falling behind 2-0 before winning six straight games to take the first set.

She continued momentum by winning four straight games to start the second set before Frech made it 4-1.

Swiatek is seeded No. 7 in the WTA's 1,000-level event. She reached the quarterfinals of the recent China Open in Beijing.

Swiatek next faces either Ashlyn Krueger or Lanlana Tararudee. She's in the same quarter as top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka, who faced Ann Li later Wednesday in a match to reach the final 16.

In other second-round matches, No. 5 Elina Svitolina had a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Liudmila Samsonova and No. 170-ranked Sonay Kartal upset No. 9-seed Belinda Bencic 6-0, 7-5.