Tokyo: Shnaider reaches last four as Ishii pulls out

Russian Diana Shnaider, the No 6 seed, reached the last four of the WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open after Japanese qualifier Sayaka Ishii withdrew before the match on Friday at the Ariake Coliseum.

Shnaider will play the winner of the match between Chinese Zheng Qinwen, the top seed, and Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the No 8 seed, next.

The Russian has won WTA titles on each of the three surfaces (Hua Hin, Bad Homburg, and Budapest) this year and is currently ranked a career-best No 16 in the world. She is through to her sixth semi-final of the season (ninth overall in her career).

In the previous round of the tournament, the 20-year-old Russian won against Bulgarian Viktoriya Tomova (6-2, 6-2).

Ishii, ranked No 279, beat lucky loser Sara Saito (6-1, 6-1) and qualifier Zeynep Sonmez (4-6, 6-2, 6-3) earlier in the week. The Japanese teenager had never won a WTA Tour main draw match prior to this event.

Tokyo WTA 500, other quarter-final results (Ariake Coliseum, hard, USD 922,573):

• Sofia Kenin (WC) beat Daria Kasatkina (3): 6-3, 6-4
• Katie Boulter (9) beat Bianca Andreescu (WC): 6-2, 6-1
• Qinwen Zheng vs. Leylah Fernandez

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