OSAKA, Japan -- Top-seeded Naomi Osaka reached the quarterfinals at the Pan Pacific Open by beating qualifier Viktoriya Tomova 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday.
Osaka, who was broken twice early in the match, is looking to win her first title in her hometown after finishing as the runner-up in 2016 and 2018.
She will next meet either Yulia Putintseva or Russian qualifier Varvara Flink.
Fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber won her first match since Wimbledon, beating American qualifier Nicole Gibbs 6-2, 6-4.
"The goal now is to finish the year as well as I can, to put all the energy which I have into this run in Asia and to play well in the next few weeks," Kerber said.
Kerber will next face Madison Keys, who defeated Zarina Diyas 5-7, 6-0, 6-4.
"I know Madison really well, so I know what to expect," Kerber said. "It will be interesting. We both know we have to play our best against each other."
Elise Mertens also advanced, beating Hsieh Su-Wei 6-3, 1-6, 6-2.