Brady to face Sabalenka in Ostrava semis

Third-seeded Aryna Sabalenka recovered from a slow start to stage a big comeback, defeating qualifier Sara Sorribes Tormo 0-6, 6-4, 6-0 in the Ostrava Open quarterfinals. The 73rd-ranked Sorribes Tormo from Spain was cruising at 6-0, 4-0 up until the 12th-ranked Sabalenka found her rhythm to rally and win 12 straight games.

The Belarusian will play Jennifer Brady of the United States, who also needed to come from a set behind to overcome Russian qualifier Veronika Kudermetova 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1 to book a place in her fourth semifinal in 2020, including the U.S. Open. Also, fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka knocked out seventh-seeded Elise Mertens 6-4, 6-1.

Mertens started strong, taking a 4-2 lead in the opening set before Azarenka came back to beat the Belgian in straight sets as she did at the U.S. Open a month ago. At that tournament, the Belarusian two-time Grand slam champion reached the final.

Azarenka will face Greek Maria Sakkari, who rallied from a set down to eliminate Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 to make her second semis of the season. The indoor hard-court event was added to the WTA tour after tournaments in China were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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