• Cincinnati Masters

Kvitova survives Barthel scare

Petra Kvitova aims a fist pump © PA Photos

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Petra Kvitova was forced to fight from a set down before booking her place in the last 16 of the Cincinnati Masters with a 3-6 6-2 7-5 victory over Mona Barthel.

The No. 4 seed was not at her best but dug deep to come from a set behind to beat her German opponent in a match lasting nearly two hours 10 minutes.

The Czech struggled to assert herself on serve in the opening set, with Barthel taking full advantage by converting both her break-point opportunities to land the first blow.

Kvitova established a better rhythm on her delivery in the second set and, although Barthel saw two break points come and go, the 2011 Wimbledon champion penetrated her opponent's serve twice to gain parity.

The decider proved a nervous affair, with neither woman able to dominate. Ultimately, Kviotva's class shone through when it mattered most and she found a way to battle through despite being below par.

Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska struggled for consistency but still proved too strong for Sofia Arvidsson, winning through 6-4 6-3. Neither woman was able to stamp their authority on their serve but, although Radwanska was broken five times, the Pole converted seven of her own break points to seal her passage into the next round.

Caroline Wozniacki, the sixth seed, was in ruthless form, destroying Sesil Karatantcheva 6-1 6-0 in an hour. The Dane was unstoppable, breaking her opponent five times and hammering winners off both flanks at will.

Venus Williams shrugged off the loss of the first set to fight back and beat Chanelle Scheepers 2-6 6-3 6-2, while there were also wins for seventh seed Sara Errani and Peng Shuai over Daniela Hantuchova and Roberta Vinci respectively.

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