The 29-year-old from Bremen guaranteed her presence in the quarterfinals by beating the second-seeded 5-7, 6-3 and 6-1 in one hour and 53 minutes.
Two comebacks, in her debut against the Czech Lucie Safarova and in the second round against the debutant Venus Williams, place Angelique Kerber in the third to last phase of the contest.
There she will meet Dominika Cibulkova, her executioner in the final of the Singapore Masters in 2016. The Slovakian reached the quarterfinals by defeating, by a double 6-4, the Russian Elena Vesnina.
This Tuesday the cross between the Czech Barbora Strycova and the Australian Ashleigh Barty was also defined in the prelude to the semifinal round after their respective victories against the Russian Ekaterina Makarova and the Australian Ellen Perez.
The British title defender Johanna Konta also said goodbye to the contest. The Polish Agnieszka Radwanska was able to avenge the final that she lost last year in Sydney (6-3 and 7-5).
In the men’s box, meanwhile, the triumphs of the Argentine Leonardo Mayer and the French Benoit Paire, who will meet in the second round.
The Spanish Feliciano López and Fernando Verdasco had mixed luck. The first came back (4-6, 7-6 and 6-3) against the Australian Aleksandar Vukic, while the promising ‘aussie’ Alex De Miñaur, of a Uruguayan father and Spanish mother, dispatched the Madrilenian as conclusive 6-4 and 6 -two.
Feliciano López will face Argentine Diego Schwartzman for a place in the quarterfinals, exempt from the first round due to his status as the third seed.
– Results of the day
– Men’s individual, first round:
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) to Mischa Zverev (ALE), by 7-5 and 6-3.
Feliciano López (ESP) to Aleksandar Vukic (AUS), by 4-6, 7-6 (5) and 6-3.
Alex De Miñaur (AUS) to Fernando Verdasco (ESP), by 6-4 and 6-2.
Benoit Paire (FRA) to Aljaz Bedene (SVN), by 1-6, 7-6 (5) and 6-3.
Jared Donaldson (USA) to Gilles Simon (FRA), 6-1 and 6-4.
– Women’s individual, first round:
Samantha Stosur (AUS) to Carina Witthoeft (ALE), 4-6, 7-5 and 6-3.
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) to Johanna Konta (GBR, 4), by 6-3 and 7-5.
– Women’s individual, second round:
Angelique Kerber (ALE) to Venus Williams (USA, 2), 5-7, 6-3 and 6-1.
Barbora Strycova (CZE) to Ekaterina Makarova (RUS), by 6-4 and 6-1.
Dominika Cibulkova (SVQ) to Elena Vesnina (RUS), by 6-4 and 6-4.
Ashleigh Barty (AUS) to Ellen Perez (AUS), by 7-6 (4) and 6-1.
Daria Gavrilova (AUS) to Olivia Rogowska (AUS), by 6-4, 1-6 and 7-5. EFE