Britain's Heather Watson and Johanna Konta are one win away from the Wuhan Open main draw after both won their opening qualifying matches in China.
British number one Watson, 23, beat Australia's Jarmila Gajdosova 6-1 7-6 (7-4) while Konta overcame Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada 6-2 7-6 (7-2).
World number 59 Watson will next play Kazakhstan's Yulia Putintseva, ranked 19 places below her, on Saturday.
Konta, 24, will face American Irina Falconi on Sunday.
The British number two is just 50 ranking points behind Watson following her run to the fourth round of the US Open.