Haddad Maia weathers storm to make Korea Open semis
Brazilian tennis star Beatriz Haddad Maia has advanced to the semi-finals of the Korea Open, but former US Open champ Emma Raducanu has pulled out with an injury.
Haddad Maia, the 2017 runner-up in the Seoul WTA 500-level tournament, scored a 6-2 6-1 win over Russia’s Polina Kudermetova on Saturday.
Persistent showers washed out all play on Friday, forcing the quarter-finals and semi-finals to be played on Saturday.
The 21-year Kudermetova played Haddad Maia on Centre Court at the same time her sister Veronika Kudermetova, who is 27 and ranked No.25, was taking on Viktoriya Tomova on the Grandstand Court.
The elder Kudermetova had a better result for the family, with Veronika beating her Bulgarian opponent 7-5 6-3.
Haddad Maia was scheduled to play Veronika Kudermetova in the first semi-final later on Saturday, with a chance to beat both Kudermetova sisters on the same day.
In a later quarter-final, top-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina advanced when Raducanu retired with an apparent left foot injury after losing the first set 6-1.
Kasatkina had not lost a set to the Briton in two previous meetings, including a 6-2 6-2 win in the Eastbourne grass-court quarter-finals three months ago.
Raducanu was bidding to reach her first semi-final above WTA 250 level since winning the 2021 US Open.
In the other quarter-final, fourth-seeded Diana Shnaider, of Russia, played fifth-seeded Marta Kostyuk, of Ukraine. The winner will play Kasatkina in the semi-finals.
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