Angelique Kerber returns a shot during her game with Kristina Mladenovic in the second round of the WTA Wuhan Open on Sept 27, 2016. Kerber overcame a slow start to see off Kristina Mladenovic to reach the third round. [Photo/Xinhua]

No. 3 seed Agnieszka Radwanska defused Ekaterina Makarova to register her first win in three attempts in the tournament. She will next face Caroline Wozniacki, who last week produced a stunning comeback win against the Pole en route to claiming the Tokyo title.

Wozniacki has pulled off a late season resurgence, reaching the US Open semifinal and lifting her first 2016 title at the Toray Pan Pacific Open. The Dane dispatched Katerina Siniakova from Czech Republic 6-4, 6-4 in the second round, recording her seventh straight victory this month.

Defending champion Venus Williams, seeded six, made short work of Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-2. She will take on ninth seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova next as the former US Open champion brushed aside America's Madison Brengle 6-0, 6-4.

Italy's Roberta Vinci, 13th seed, was ousted by Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 7-5, 6-2, becoming the only seeded player to bow out on Tuesday.

In other matches, eighth seeded Madison Keys from United States beat Caroline Garica of France 6-3, 6-4; 10th seeded Dominika Cibulkova, former Australia Open runner-up, rallied past Laura Siegemund of Germany 2-6, 6-3, 6-4; Russia's Daria Kasatkina romped past America's Louisa Chirico 6-1, 6-1.