Astana Open: Putintseva reaches quarterfinals; Mladenovic out

Putintseva beat Vera Lapko 6-4, 6-4 in their second-round match, winning six of the last seven games after Lapko had led the second set 3-0.

Putintseva is left as the only remaining player from Kazakhstan in the draw and will bid to win the first women's tour tennis event in her home country. (File Photo)

Yulia Putintseva reached the quarterfinals of the Astana Open on Wednesday as she bids to win the first women's tour tennis event in her home country of Kazakhstan, while third-seeded Kristina Mladenovic lost in the second round.

Putintseva beat Vera Lapko 6-4, 6-4 in their second-round match, winning six of the last seven games after Lapko had led the second set 3-0.

Alison van Uytvanck, seeded second, recovered after being broken in the deciding set to beat Anna-Lena Friedsam 6-4, 3-6, 6-4.

It was only the third time in 15 tournaments this season that the Belgian has got past the second round in a tour event.

Her reward is a quarterfinal match with seventh-seeded Russian Varvara Gracheva, who saw off Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-4.

Mladenovic became the highest-ranked player to be eliminated so far as she was beaten 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 by Anastasia Potapova of Russia.

Potapova's next opponent is Rebecca Peterson, who swept past Zarina Diyas 6-2, 6-2 to leave Putintseva as the only remaining player from Kazakhstan in the draw.

Jaqueline Cristian lost a first-set tiebreak but still upset eighth-seeded Clara Burel 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-2 for her third quarterfinal of the season at a full WTA tour event after St. Petersburg in March and Palermo in July.