Kvitová was undermined by her own inconsistency, making 39 unforced errors, while Gavrilova made just 12.

“Petra is a really tough opponent. It was a little bit tricky … but I felt like I took my chances and I served really well today,” said Gavrilova, who landed 81% of her first serves.

Krunić staged a remarkable rally in Beijing, after trailing by a set and a break, to beat Svitolina 0-6 6-4 7-6(4) for her first victory over the Ukrainian on her third attempt.

Krunić lost the first nine games of the match and trailed by a break three times in the final set, clawing herself back to level terms on each occasion before winning a dramatic tiebreak.

Latvia’s Jeļena Ostapenko was given a tough examination by Slovakia’s Magdaléna Rybáriková but held her nerve, claiming six points in a row in another tense tiebreak to win 6-4 7-6(3) and will next face Chinese wild card Wang Qiang.

Briton Johanna Konta was beaten by 10th seed Julia Görges of Germany 6-2 4-6 6-3.

Görges sent down 12 aces and struck 42 winners as she sealed victory in two hours and 15 minutes.