Thursday 27 June 2019 18:12, UK
Angelique Kerber is through to the last four of the Nature Valley International in Eastbourne after beating Simona Halep 6-4 6-3 in the quarter-finals.
Kerber booked her spot in her fourth consecutive grass-court semi-final in just over 70 minutes and converted five of the seven break points that she created.
The defending Wimbledon champion raced to early leads in both sets, surging to 4-1 and 3-0 before having to hold off Halep taking a break back in each set.
"I'm really happy with how I played today but I mean to play against Simona is always a tough battle," said Kerber post match.
"I know I have to play my best tennis and she's a great player, she's a champion and she's won so much in the last few years so I was just trying to focus on my game and have another good match on grass.
"For me, to come back here is always great. I have so many great memories, I love to play here on this court."
Kerber will face the unseeded Ons Jabeur in the semi-finals after the Tunisian came from a set down to beat Alize Cornet 1-6 7-5 6-3.
The world No 66, who knocked out Johanna Konta in the third round, has been enjoying herself on the grass but did suffer from an ankle roll during the course of her quarter-final match.
After receiving a medical timeout, the Tunisian returned to the court, where she had been leading 4-3, 0-40 on Cornet's serve and successfully managed to break the French player.
Jabeur then wasted little time serving out the rest of the match in order to secure her semi-final showdown with Kerber.
In the other half of the draw, Kiki Bertens overame Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to book her semi-final spot.
The world No 4 had never lost to Sabalenka, who was a finalist last year in Eastbourne, and deployed 32 winners and six aces to maintain her unbeaten run over her opponent.
The opening set was closely fought with six of 10 games going to deuce. In the end just one break of serve, which Bertens claimed early on, was the difference in the set.
Sabalenka took an early lead in the second set but the Dutch player brought it back on-serve. It was not until a shaky service game from Bertens that the Belarussian was able to take the set, forcing the quarter-final into a third-set decider.
Bertens' victory puts the St. Petersburg and Madrid champion into her seventh WTA semi-final of the year.
She will face Karolina Pliskova, who brushed aside Ekaterina Alexandrova in impressive fashion by 6-2 6-0. Pliskova took just 52 minutes to dispatch her opponent and hit 22 winners to just three unforced errors during that time.
Meanwhile in Roehampton, Cori Gauff became the youngest player in the professional era to progress through the Wimbledon qualifying draw.
At 15 years and 122 days old the American thrashed Belgium's Greet Minnen 6-1 6-1 to seal her place in next week's main women's draw.
Gauff, who is combining her practice sessions with her schoolwork, looked like a seasoned grass-court player as she claimed her a third successive straight-sets victory.
