Ana Ivanovic led the top three seeds into the Generali Ladies semi-finals on Friday with straight-sets victories.
Ivanovic beat seventh-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy 6-4, 6-4, second-seeded Vera Zvonareva defeated eighth-seeded Alize Cornet of France 7-5, 6-1 and third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska stopped fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia 6-3, 6-2.
They were joined by sixth-seeded Marion Bartoli, who beat the only unseeded player to make the last eight, Alona Bondarenko of Ukraine, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1.
PHOTO: AP
Ivanovic broke Pennetta, last week’s runner-up in Zurich, at 4-4 and added three more breaks in the second set.
“It was a difficult match,” Ivanovic said. “I was never sure if I did enough to beat her.”
In Zurich, the Serb had reached her first semi-finals since winning the French Open and her second last-four effort in two weeks showed she was past her thigh and thumb injuries. Ivanovic will play Radwanska in the semis.
Radwanska stayed on course for a fourth WTA Tour title this season by routing 2005 champion Petrova.
The 10th-ranked Pole, who won only three games against Petrova in their previous meeting this season, broke the Russian four times.
Zvonareva used powerful serves and ground-strokes against Cornet, who won her first WTA title in Budapest in July.
Her next opponent is Bartoli, who improved to 3-0 against Bondarenko.
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