Petra Kvitova has eased past Lucie Safarova in straight sets at the Sydney International tournament.
Kvitova eventually took the match 7-6 6-3 against the 26-year-old.
The 23-year-old Czech was given a stern test in the first set, but eventually overcame her compatriot with a 7-4 score in the tie-break.
Safarova, who beat Caroline Wozniacki on Tuesday, put up an admirable resistance against the world number six before finally succumbing to Kvitova's superiority.