British number six Heather Watson has reached her first quarter final in 18 months after beating Na-Lae Han in the Thailan Open.

Watson won the match in three sets 6-3 5-7 6-4 in a topsy turvy encounter which lasted two hours and 33 minutes. She will now rise back into the world’s top 150 after her victory. The Brit will now play Chinese seventh seed Xinyu Wang for a place in the semi-finals.

She also managed to beat a top 50 opponent for the first time since March 2022 in her last match beating Yulia Putinstseva.

The 30-year-old came into the tournament after failing to qualify for the Australian Open last month. Watson lost in the qualifying round to Aliona Bolsova meaning she was not able to play in the first Grand Slam of the year.

Watson turned pro in 2010 and her career highlight is winning the mixed doubles Championships at Wimbledon in 2016 with her partner Henri Kontinen.

“Heather Watson” by Andrew Campbell Photography is licensed under CC BY 2.0.