WTA roundup: Semifinals set in Luxembourg, Portoroz

[September 18, 2021] Seventh-seeded Liudmila Samsonova of Russia rolled into the semifinals of the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open with a 6-1, 6-4 upset of No. 1 seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on Friday.  

Samsonova won 81 percent of her first-service points and saved both break points she faced. She will meet third-seeded Jelena Ostapenko following the Latvian's 7-6 (6), 6-2 quarterfinal win against France's Alize Cornet, the No. 8 seed.

Saturday's other semifinal pits No. 5 Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic against unseeded teenager Clara Tauson of Denmark. Vondrousova advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 win over second-seeded Belgian Elise Mertens, who had eight double faults. Tauson, 18, never faced a break point in a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic.

Zavarovalnica Sava Portoroz

No. 2 seed Yulina Putintseva of Kazakhstan advanced to the semifinals in Portoroz, Slovenia, with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Lucia Bronzetti of Italy.

Putintseva faces another Italian on Saturday after Jasmine Paolini knocked off No. 4 seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. Paolini saved 10 of 13 break points in a match that lasted two hours and six minutes.

No. 3 seed Alison Riske meets Kaja Juvan of Slovenia in the other semifinal. Riske fell behind 2-0 in the opening set before recovering for a 6-4, 6-1 win against France's Kristina Mladenovic. Juvan ousted fellow Slovenian Tamara Zidansek, the No. 5 seed, in straight sets, 7-6 (4), 6-3.

--Field Level Media

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