Top seeds preserve kind heading to Charleston semifinals

No. 1 seed Jessica Pegula led the best 4 seeds into the semifinals on the Charleston Open.

Pegula beat Twelfth-seeded Paula Bedosa 6-3, 7-6 (6) to complete the last word 4 throughout the season’s first clay-court event.

Also advancing have been second-seeded Ons Jabeur, No. 3 seed Daria Kasatkina and No. 4 seed Belinda Bencic, the defending champion.

It’s the first time the best 4 seeds made it to the semifinals proper right here since 2000 when Mary Pierce, Conchita Martinez, Monica Seles, and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario achieved the feat.

Pegula will face Bencic with Jabeur taking up Kasatkina on Saturday.

Pegula continued her strong play this season collectively along with her fourth semifinal in six tournaments. She leads the WTA with 22 match victories.

“The depth in women’s tennis is incredible. You can’t take any match lightly,” Pegula talked about. “A lot of people might say someone’s not as consistent, but it’s really just because of the depth.” Jabeur, who fell to Bencic throughout the championship match proper right here a 12 months up to now, misplaced one recreation in beating Anna Kalinskaya, who retired with an illness whereas trailing 6-0, 4-1.

Kasatkina dropped the first set to earlier champion and ninth-seeded Madison Keys sooner than rallying for a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Bencic acquired her ninth straight match on the inexperienced clay of the Credit One Tennis Center, defeating seventh-seeded Ekatarina Alexandrova 6-3, 6-3.

Jabeur appeared cosy on clay for this season throughout the season. She has not dropped a set in three matches. She’ll attempt to protect that going throughout the semis in opposition to Kasatkina, who misplaced her first set of the week to Keys.

“I was feeling good on the practice. I was training well with my team,” Jabeur talked about. “Playing matches is always different. And I felt like, ‘OK, I’m just going to focus on each match and see what’s going to happen.’” Jabeur, ranked fifth on this planet, had 4 aces and no double faults. She acquired virtually 78% of her first serves and saved all three break stage alternate options Kalinskaya had.

The solely issue which can sluggish her down? The local weather forecast for Saturday, which requires common rain all via. “I’m going to call my people in Tunisia and bring the sun here,” she joked.

Keys was two video video games away from advancing, up a set and 4-3 throughout the second when Kasatkina found her recreation to win 9 of the ultimate 11 video video games.

Kasatkina hadn’t acquired a number of match in her earlier six tournaments, along with a first-round exit closing day journey on the Miami Open. Now, she’s a win away from a WTA closing.

“The beginning of the year was a bit rough,” Kasatkina talked about. “Just so happy to finally be on the right track.”