Taiwanese sisters Latisha Chan and Chan Hao-ching yesterday advanced to the Hobart International women’s doubles semi-finals after their opponents withdrew, while former champion Alize Cornet moved one step closer to another singles title.
Following the withdrawal of their quarter-final opponents, Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia and Sabrina Santamaria of the US, the Taiwanese pair move automatically into the semi-finals, where they are to face Romania’s Monica Niculescu and China’s Yang Zhaoxuan.
In the singles, Cornet defeated Belgian qualifier Greet Minnen 6-1, 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
The sixth seed, who won the event in 2016, overcame a fall and skinned knee in the win. She has not dropped a set in this tournament.
She is to meet Sofia Kenin for a place in the final, with the 20-year-old American continuing her impressive run by beating veteran Kirsten Flipkins 7-5, 7-5.
Cornet served for the match at 5-2 in the second set, but was broken as Minnen struck some clean winners.
“To finally close it out at 5-4, I was pretty tight, so I’m happy I could finish the match,” Cornet said. “To be in the semi-final is a great start to the year.”
In the evening quarter-finals, Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic defeated Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska 7-6 (7/2), 6-3, while Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova outlasted Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu 7-5, 7-5.
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