Dubai: Anastasija Sevastova and Elina Svitolina made the singles semi-finals in different ways at the Dubai Duty Free Women’s Open on Thursday.
Svitolina blew away American Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-4 in just over one hour, after Sevastova had paced herself to make her way past China’s Qiang Wang 6-4, 7-5.
Making her third successive semi-final in Dubai, the seventh-seeded Svitolina was in near-total control as she swept past her American opponent, who had showed up with her right thigh strapped. After a dominant first set that lasted all of 20 minutes, Svitolina had to contend with a Davis fightback as the American matched a quick break in the first and third games.
Going in with her thigh strapped, and trailing 0-3 in their previous three meetings, Davis was struggling. But the second set saw the American fail to hold on as the Ukrainian won in 64 minutes for a semi-final meeting with either top seed Angelique Kerber or Ana Konjuh.
“I was expecting Lauren to come back strongly after that first set. But it was always going to be tough on her to recover from 0-6. So the main focus in my mind was to stay calm and positive,” Svitolina said after the match.
“I am really happy with the way things have gone for me so far her. I have been able to stay in my zone and we will see how much better it can get,” she added.
The 22-year-old Svitolina has been inching towards a top-10 debut on the WTA Rankings. And if she needs to break into that higher domain, Svitolina will have to win the title on Saturday. “Honestly, I don’t look at the rankings,” she smiled.
“It is so much more important for me to improve my game and the rankings will automatically follow with the results,” she added.
Last year’s losing semi-finalist also refrained from looking too much into Friday’s semi-final either against Kerber or Konjuh. “I have played both of them a couple of times before. Right now, I need to recover and get ready for that semi-final,” she said.
Earlier, Sevastova improved her Dubai performance to a semi-final appearance as she tamed her Chinese opponent in straight sets on a hazy and cloudy afternoon. Much is expected of the Latvian following her first-ever semi-final appearance in a Premier 5 tournament, something that could help her climb up to No. 20 in the rankings if she wins the title here on Saturday.
“When you see all these results, you say to yourself you have a chance every time. It’s great to be here. But tomorrow is another match. It’s not over yet. I try to enjoy it today, watch the match, and I have to be ready,” she added.
Results of women’s singles quarter-finals on Thursday:
Anastasija Sevastova bt Qiang Wang 6-4, 7-5; Elina Svitolina bt Lauren Davis 6-0, 6-4.
