Ana Ivanovic into 4 Round of the China Open 2014.

Having prevailed in a titanic final game to take the first set, Ivanovic was then forced to weather a late onslaught for Lisicki before completing a 6-3, 7-5 win.

 "It was a great match today - it's always tough playing Sabine, she's a big hitter and a big server," Ivanovic said. "Today I really tried to take the ball early and stay aggressive and I think I did that really well. "If you give her the opportunity, she's going to run with it. It was very close, particularly at the end of the first set." Elsewhere, No.2 seed Simona Halep overcame a late hiccup of her own to defeat Andrea Petkovic, 7-6(4), 5-7, 7-6(1). At 4-0 up in the decider, Halep was seemingly cruising towards a place in the quarterfinals, only to hand Petkovic a lifeline with a couple of errant service games. There was still time for a couple of final twists, but Halep, having fluffed her lines serving for the match at 5-3, finally dragged herself past the finishing post. "It was a tough match. I was fighting a lot today," Halep said. "She played really well, but I played better in the important moments, so I think that was the difference."