Kimiko Date-Krumm and Vitalia Diatchenko remain on course to potentially become the first-ever repeat singles champions at the Al Habtoor Tennis Challenge after the pair booked their placed in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

The 44-year-old Date-Krumm, who clinched the Dubai title two years ago, secured a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the second round clash.

The Japanese veteran, who has slipped to No115 in the world due to some poor results and a hip injury in the last two months, will take on Romanian Andreea Mitu in the last eight on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, recently-crowned Taipei champion and Dubai No7 seed, Vitalia Diatchenko, advanced to the quarter-finals with a smooth 6-3, 6-0 win over Germany’s Dinah Pfizenmaier.

The 24-year-old Russian, who missed almost two years (2012-2013) of tennis with a knee injury, is climbing her way up the rankings and has had a great last few months, reaching the quarter-finals in the WTA event in Moscow as a qualifier before winning the $125K tournament in Taipei last Sunday.

The 2008 Dubai champion is now ranked No77 in the world.

Her opponent in the last eight today is the second-seeded Belgian Alison van Uytvanck, who came back from a set down to defeat Renata Voracova 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0.

There were mixed fortunes for the Ukrainian Kichenok twins with Nadiia moving on to the quarter-finals 7-6 (2), 7-5 over Carina Witthoeft but her sister Lyudmyla stumbling to a 6-4, 6-4 defeat to An-Sophie Mestach.

Second round Results:

Vitalia DIATCHENKO [7] bt Dinah PFIZENMAIER 6-3, 6-0

Alexandra PANOVA bt Viktoriya TOMOVA 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (3)

Andreea MITU bt Nicoleta-Catalina DASCALU 7-5, 6-4

Nadiia KICHENOK bt Carina WITTHOEFT [5] 7-6(2), 7-5

Alison VAN UYTVANCK [2] bt Renata Voracova 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0

Alexandra DULGHERU [6] bt Laura POUS-TIO 6-0, 6-0

Kimiko DATE-KRUMM bt Lourdes DOMINGUEZ LINO 6-1, 6-4

An-Sophie MESTACH bt Lyudmyla KICHENOK 6-4, 6-4

Schedule

Court 1

12:00 Alexandra PANOVA v Nadiia KICHENOK

Court 3

11:00 Vitalia DIATCHENKO [7] v Alison VAN UYTVANCK [2]

15:30 Alexandra DULGHERU [6] v An-Sophie MESTACH

Followed by Kimiko DATE-KRUMM v Andreea MITU