The defending champion and world No 1, Iga Swiatek, showcased all her experience to book a semi-final place at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Swiatek fought back from a set down against Karolina Pliskova to claim a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory. She will now face the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who dropped only three games in seeing off Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-0.
Swiatek is one win away from reaching the final in her first tournament for over a month after suffering a rib injury.
The world No 2, Aryna Sabalenka, will meet Anastasia Potapova in the second semi-final after Sabalenka beat the wild card Paula Badosa 4-6 6-3 6-3.
In the men’s Barcelona Open, Britain’s Dan Evans booked a semi-final place with a comeback victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. Evans lost the first set, but responded in high-class fashion to secure a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 triumph.
Evans will face the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz, at the last-four stage on Saturday after the top seed saw off his fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.
The other semi-final sees Stefanos Tsitsipas meeting Lorenzo Musetti, who had a walkover in his quarter-final.
Meanwhile, in Bosnia Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat in the Srpska Open quarter-finals with a straight sets loss against Dusan Lajovic. It was the first time that world No 1 Djokovic had lost to a fellow Serbian since Janko Tipsarevic beat him 11 years ago.
