British number one Heather Watson has continued her good start to the 2015 season by beating Sloane Stephens 6-3 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals of the Hobart international.

Watson managed to secure the victory over the fifth seed inside just 64 minutes and will now face ninth seed Roberta Vinci of Italy.

Although she has struggled at times on the tour, Watson has now beaten Stephens four times in a row.

The match originally went with serve but Watson took control once she broke, however she is refusing to get carried away despite carrying on her good form from last week at the Hopman Cup where she played alongside Andy Murray.

They were unable to help Britain reach the final but Watson showed her class in the doubles and during her singles win over Australia’s Casey Dellacqua.

The 22-year-old insists she is feeling confident after finding the best form of her career ahead of the Australian Open.

“I never think about winning the tournament. It’s a boring answer. You probably want me to say yes, but I’m just focusing on my next match,” Watson said.

“I’m feeling good and I’m feeling confident, definitely, after these first two matches.

“I had a tough draw in the first match and then Sloane in the second round, so I’m very pleased to get through those matches.

“I thought to myself no matter what happens in the match I’m going to stay aggressive from the first point to the last and I did that today.”