Taiwanese-Czech duo Hsieh Su-wei and Barbora Strycova on Thursday remained on course for a second doubles title of the season by easing through the quarter-finals at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
The top seeds took just 59 minutes to complete an emphatic 6-3, 6-0 victory over Americans Sofia Kenin and Bethanie Mattek-Sands on the hard courts in the United Arab Emirates.
The reigning champions saved four of five break points and converted six of seven, winning 84 percent of the points on their opponents second serve to improve their season record to 11-1, the only loss in the final of the Australian Open in Melbourne last month.
Photo: AP
Hsieh and Strycova were late yesterday to face Canadian-Chinese duo Gabriela Dabrowski and Zhang Shuai in the semi-finals after the fourth seeds took just 63 minutes to see off the challenge of Ukrainian twins Lyudmyla and Nadiia Kichenok 6-2, 6-4.
In the singles, top seed Simona Halep had to come from behind for a second straight day, overhauling Aryna Sabalenka 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals.
Halep, who had saved a match point in knocking out Ons Jabeur 24 hours earlier, said that she had to pick up her pace after losing the first set.
“Everything was a little bit fast, too powerful. When I got the rhythm, it was much easier for me to feel the game,” the world No. 2 said. “I played quicker in the second and third set. She didn’t have time to hit the ball. I think that was the key of the match. It’s good to have tough matches. I’m here to give everything I have to win every match I play. I’m happy with these matches.”
The Romanian was to face Jennifer Brady for a place in the final.
US qualifier Brady, who beat third seed Elina Svitolina in the first round, booked her semi-final spot by dispatching ninth seed Garbine Muguruza, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4.
Elena Rybakina took a season-leading 18th victory with a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 win over second seed Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic.
The Kazakh winner has been on a tear this season, winning in Hobart, Australia, and reaching the finals in Shenzhen, China, and last weekend in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Rybakina was due to face Petra Martic after the Croatian eighth seed defeated Anett Kontaveit of Estonia 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
As she had on Wednesday, when playing Jabeur, Halep had to fight her way out of a deficit after losing the opening set.
The 2015 Dubai champion lifted her game to win the second and ran off to a 4-1 lead in the third, before finishing off three games later.
The victory avenged a loss Halep suffered against Sabalenka last month in Adelaide, Australia.
Brady, who ranks just outside the top 50, has stunned herself with her form this week.
“I was able to find a way, I wasn’t feeling my best,” she said. “Maybe I didn’t play my best tennis, but I stayed in there, competed and came out on top.”
Brady recovered from a set down against the Spanish two-time Grand Slam winner, winning the second set by breaking her opponent’s final two serves.
She finished off the upset a set later on a second match point.
“I had so many opportunities, I can’t count how many I had. They didn’t go my way,” said Australian Open runner-up Muguruza, who converted on only one of 10 break points. “Every time I had an opportunity, she was playing the point well, serving big, making winners.”
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