TENNIS – Sara Errani overcame Daria Kasatkina 6-3 3-6 6-2 in two hours and 17 minutes setting up the all-Italian semifinal against Karin Knapp who followed up a win over Johanna Larsson in the match delayed by rain with a quarter final win over Polona Hercog with 7-6 (7-5) 7-5. Diego Sampaolo
Errani raced out to 4-0 lead but wasted three chances for 5-0. Kasatkina recovered one of the breaks and saved seven break points but Errani closed out the first set with 6-3. The Russian player got the break at 3-3 before holding serve in the next game after saving three break points. Kasatkina broke serve to love to clinch the second set with 6-3.
Errani broke serve twice to open up a 3-0 lead. Kasatkina recovered one of the two breaks to claw her way back to 2-3. Errani held her serve and closed out on her third match point after saving two break points.
Errani will meet Karin Knapp who won two matches in one day after her match against Johanna Larsson was delayed by rain yesterday. After beating Larsson 6-3 6-3 the Italian was broken twice to go down 2-5. Knapp recovered breaking serve twice. Knapp earned two set points at 5-4 but she did not convert them. The set came down to the tie-break where Hercog opened up a 4-1 lead. However, Knapp clawed her way back to draw level to 5-5 before winning the final two points to clinch the first set
In the third set both players traded breaks before Hercog took the lead. Knapp broke serve to love to draw level. Knapp saved a break point in the eighth game before converting her thir break point opportunity at 5-5. Knapp won four points from 0-15 to clinch the win with 7-5.
Sam Stosur beat Danka Kovinic 6-3 6-2 setting up a semifinal against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova who defeated Anna Beck 6-2 6-3.
Teenager Zverev sets up semifinal against Robredo in Bastad
Tommy Robredo, who won two titles in Bastad in 2006 and 2008, has reached the quarter final for the 10th time in his career in Bastad after his 6-3 6-3 win over Paul-Henry Mathieu. Robredo will face Aleksander Zverev who rallied from a set down to battle past Tjomas Bellucci with 5-7 6-4 6-2. Zverev, who reached the first semifinal of his career in the ATP Tour, converted seven of his nine break points.
Istanbul BNP Paribas
Urszula Radwanska, the younger sister of Agniewska, edged past Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-5) to achieve her first WTA semifinal in almost three years. The match lasted two hours and featured 17 breaks of serve. World Number 99 player Radwanska, who beat Jelena Jankovic in the first round, went down five times in the third set but edged the Bulgarian player in the tie-break of the third set. Urszula is bidding to equal her sister Agniewska who won this tournament in 2008. They teamed up to win the doubles title in 2008.
Radwanska will face Magdalena Rybarikova who saved a match point when she was down 6-4 5-4 before clinching a 0-6 7-5 6-2 win over Italian Roberta Vinci.
Ukrainian Lesla Tsurenko, who reached the quarter finals at Indian Wells this year, battled past her compatriot Kateryna Bondarenko 7-6 (15-13) 7-5 after two hours and 29 minutes on a match marked by 13 breaks of serve. Tsurenko saved four set points in the tie-break of the first set
