Martic, Kontaveit to meet in Palermo semi
Petra Martic and Anett Kontaveit are the last two seeds standing at the Palermo Ladies Open.
The first final four of the WTA’s recently resumed 2020 season is set. Petra Martic and Anett Kontaveit set up a Palermo Ladies Open semi-final clash with hard-fought wins on Friday, while Italy’s Camila Giorgi and France’s Fiona Ferro also moved through.
Top seed Martic battled past qualifier Aliaksandra Sasnovich 7-6 (5) 7-6 (3) in their quarter-final.
The 15th-ranked Croatian converted four of seven break points and saved seven of 11 to advance at the WTA International event, which marks the first tournament back after the coronavirus-enforced break.
Martic will meet fourth-seeded Kontaveit, who beat teenage wildcard Elisabetta Cocciaretto 6-1 4-6 6-1.
Unseeded pair Camila Giorgi and Fiona Ferro will meet in the other semi-final.
Giorgi got past seventh seed Dayana Yastremska 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 after saving two match points with Yastremska serving at 5-4 in the second set. The Italian hit seven aces and eked out the victory in two hours and 52 minutes, while Ferro brushed past Italian veteran Sara Errani 6-4 6-1.
Ferro, ranked 53, has been in good form this summer. She went 10-0 at a series of French exhibitions and recorded wins over Kristina Mladenovic and Alizé Cornet.
More tennis news
Two points from defeat, Zverev survives 4hr 50min and reaches 100 Grand Slam wins
September 2, 1977: The day Stan Smith was beaten by a spaghetti racquet
Another night of theatre in New York: Monfils turns 40 and drops three games in three sets
Serena back in singles draws? “I probably will play again, I have to”
Fritz gives Blanch nothing, and Blanch can’t enjoy his wild-card once again
