Stuttgart, April 21

Germany’s Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber withstood a tough opening second-round match against compatriot Annika Beck to reach the quarter-finals of the Stuttgart WTA indoor tournament on Wednesday.

Kerber, the defending champion on clay in Stuttgart, needed just over two hours to seal her 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win to reach the last eight after receiving a first-round bye.

The pair of Germans last met in the fourth round of the Australian Open when Kerber beat Beck in straight sets on her way to the title. “It’s always difficult to play against another German, who you know so well,” Kerber said.

Earlier, 2015 US Open finalist Roberta Vinci served out a tense first-round encounter with former top-10 player Ekaterina Makarova by dispatching the Russian 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4.

In the second round, Italy’s Vinci will play 2011 Stuttgart champion Goerges, who outfoxed France’s Alize Cornet 6-4, 6-0 in just one hour and 16 minutes.