Kerber beats Halep to reach Eastbourne semifinals

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Kerber beats Halep to reach Eastbourne semifinals

London - Kerber converted five out of seven break points to secure the win and set up a last-four clash with Ons Jabeur

By Reuters

Published: Thu 27 Jun 2019, 11:34 PM

Last updated: Fri 28 Jun 2019, 1:38 AM

Angelique Kerber's Wimbledon preparation gained momentum as she thumped Simona Halep 6-4 6-3 in a battle of former world number ones to reach the semifinals at Eastbourne on Thursday.
The Wimbledon champion converted five out of seven break points to secure the win and set up a last-four clash with Ons Jabeur.
Unseeded Tunisian Jabeur was made to work hard for a victory over Alize Cornet as she shook off an ankle injury in the final set to prevail 1-6 7-5 6-3.
"At this tournament, I'm the queen of losing the first set and then coming back," Jabeur, who has rallied back from a set down to win three of her four matches in Eastbourne, said.
"It's another motivation for me to win, to play better in the second set, but I'm really happy with this win.
"It wasn't easy at the end, I was scared for my ankle, but hopefully everything will be good. I tried to move better, be better on court, and that helped me regain my shots."
Kiki Bertens survived a mid-match wobble to extend her dominance over world number 10 Aryna Sabalenka, beating last year's runner-up 6-4 3-6 6-4.
The St Petersburg and Madrid champion's fourth victory over Sabalenka in as many career meetings took her to a seventh semifinal of the year, where she will meet former world number one Karolina Pliskova.
Czech Pliskova fired 22 winners and sent down six aces to down Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2 6-0.
"I'm improving with every match here," Pliskova, who is yet to drop a set in the tournament, said.
"I was hoping to get some matches here before Wimbledon and I won three matches against solid players... I'm in the semis for the third time... it's going to be a good challenge for me (against Bertens)."