World number 14 Pitchford saw off Belarus’ Aleksandr Khanin in his second round tie, winning 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, at the Budapest Olympic Sports Hall in the Hungarian capital in the first WTT competition to be held in Europe.

He is due to face Germany’s Kilian Ort in his third match of the tournament tomorrow.

Second seed Quadri Aruna of Nigeria also progressed in the opposite half of the draw, beating France’s Alexandre Robinot 11-6, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4 to set up a quarter-final against Sweden’s Truls Moregard.

After the elimination of Germany's Ruwen Filus in the first round yesterday, fourth seed Sathiyan Gnanasekaran of India was today’s biggest casualty as he lost to Niagol Stoyanov of Italy.

Despite taking the first game, Gnanasekaran was beaten 10-12, 11-7, 12-10, 19-17, and his opponent is scheduled to face Germany’s seventh seed Dang Qiu in the last eight as he came from behind to defeat India’s Harmeet Desai, seeded 10th, 5-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-4.

Sixth seed Kirill Skachkov required five games to edge past Manav Vikash Thakkar of India 10-12, 13-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, and is set to face the Czech Republic’s Tomas Polansky tomorrow, with the winner facing either Pitchford or Ort in the semi-final.

In the women’s tournament, Yang eased past Hungary’s 10th-seeded Szandra Pergel 11-6, 10-12, 11-4, 11-3, and is now due to go up against Olga Vorobeva of Russia in the quarter-finals.

In the bottom half of the draw, Russia’s second seed Polina Mikhailova breezed through in straight games against Serbia’s Izabela Lupulesku 11-3, 11-7, 11-8, and is now scheduled to play compatriot Elizabet Abraamian tomorrow.

The winner of that all-Russian clash is due to face the winner of the all-Indian quarter-final between Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula.

Sixth seed Batra had to go the distance to beat Italy’s Giorgia Piccolin 12-10, 11-13, 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, while Akula recorded a straight games win against Russia’s Barbora Balazova 11-9, 11-6, 13-11.

The other quarter-final is set to feature home favourite and third seed Georgina Pota, who came from a game down to beat fellow Hungarian Leonie Hartbrich 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-5.

Pota is now due to face Russia’s Mariia Tailakova following her straight games victory over Archana Girish Kamath.

The quarter-finals in the men’s and women’s singles competitions are being held tomorrow, along with the men’s and women’s doubles semi-finals.

The mixed double’s semi-final between India’s Gnanasekaran and Batra and Belarus’ Khanin and Daria Trigolos is also scheduled for tomorrow, with the winners facing Hungary’s Nandor Ecseki and Dora Madarasz in the final.