Tokyo: Japan’s Naomi Osaka produced another explosive performance to beat Belarusian Aliaksandra Sasnovich and reach the $885,500 Pan Pacific Open semi-finals yesterday.
Osaka, born of a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the last four after her shock three-set victory over top seed Garbine Muguruza of Spain.
The 18-year-old Osaka, who models her power game on her idol Serena Williams, reached the last four of a WTA tournament for the first time after a 6-3, 7-6 victory in Tokyo, finishing in style by smashing an ace down the centre line.
Osaka erased a 5-0 deficit in the second set to force a tiebreak she won 8-6 to advance, but Svitlona will be a threat after bundling out French Open champion Muguruza 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
On the other side of the draw, second seed Agnieszka Radwanska booked her place in the semi-finals as the Pole overpowered Puerto Rico’s Rio Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig 6-2, 6-3.
She next plays former world number one Caroline Wozniacki, winner in Tokyo six years ago, after the Dane beat Poland’s Magda Linette 6-4, 6-3.
In Beijing, Defending champion Jelena Jankovic of Serbia beat Croatian teen sensation Ana Konjuh in the semi-finals of the WTA $226,750 Guangzhou International Women’s Open on Thursday.
Second seed Jankovic, who is yet to drop a set in China, is now just one win away from defending her title and claiming the $226,750 top prize.
She followed up her straight-sets victory over Sabine Lisicki on Thursday with a hard-fought triumph over US Open quarterfinalist Konjuh.
Former world number one Jankovic beat Konjuh, 7-5, 7-6(7) to advance to the final, pulling off a brilliant comeback to avoid a decider, reeling in Konjuh’s 4-1 lead to force a tiebreak, then thwarting two break points before completing the win.
She will face Lesia Tsurenko after the Ukrainian player surged past Estonian Anett Kontaveit 6-4, 6-2.
Meanwhile, Romanian Monica Niculescu advanced to the $226,750 Korea Open semi-final along with compatriot Patricia Maria Tig, raising a prospect of all-Romanian final.
The 28-year-old Niculescu, currently the world number 55, defeated Jana Cepelova from Slovakia 6-4, 6-2 in 81 minutes while Tig, ranked 135 in the world, beat Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain 7-6(2), 2-6, 6-3 in a 154-minute showdown.
Niculescu will next play third seed Zhang Shuai who yesterday beat Italy’s Camila Giorgi, and Tig will match against Lara Arruabarrena of Spain.
Tomas Berdych reached the semi-finals of the $923,550 St Petersburg Open Men’s Singles defeating Paolo Lorenzi of Italy 6-4, 6-3. In other matches Germany’s Alexander Zverev beat Russian Mikhail Youzhny 6-2 6-2 while Spaniard Roberto Bautista defeated Joao Sousa (Portugal) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
