An all-Chinese match has been set at the Italian Open after Wang Xiyu saved a match point to defeat American Taylor Townsend 6-2, 0-6, 7-5, and Zheng Qinwen beat Anna Bondar of Hungary 7-6(2), 6-4 to advance into the round of 16 in Rome on Saturday. 

They will play against each other on Monday, marking the first time a Chinese enter the quarterfinal in Rome after Chinese tennis icon Li Na and Zhang Shuai did so in 2014.

Twenty-two-year-old Wang won the first set relatively easily with strong serves, but the heavy rain affected her rhythm, and her opponent broke serve consecutively to win the second set 6-0. 

In the final set, Townsend saved two break points at 5-4 and got her first match point but failed to come through. Wang gradually recovered her momentum and turned the fortune around 6-5. She then took advantage of Townsend's double fault and won the third set. 

"She served very well, and she had a powerful forehand. I've learned a lot from her. It was a great game," Wang said after the game.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Zheng finished her clash against world No. 93 Bondar in two hours and seven minutes. The young Chinese player's real-time world ranking has climbed to her personal best – 18. 

Zheng and Bondar reached 6-6 in the first set, but Bondar gave the first set away cheaply in the tie-break. The two broke each other in turn in the second set, but at 5-4, Zheng held on to her serve to win the game and won the second set 6-4 to go to the round of 16. 

Wang and Zheng previously met in the final of WTA125 in Valencia last year, with Zheng becoming the victor after a hard fight. When asked about their first encounter at a WTA 1000 event, Wang said, "She is a great player, a real fighter ... I think I can learn a lot from the game, and it will be a challenge."

Zheng expects the Chinese derby to be a challenge.

"She is a very aggressive player and plays in a powerful style," she said of Wang. "She is left-handed, which will have a big advantage in serving. I will try my best in the next game."

(With input from Xinhua)