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World No. 1 Iga Swiatek fought back from a set down to book a place in the semi-finals in Stuttgart, while World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka produced a stunning comeback.
In the last four, Swiatek will face world No. 4 Ons Jaber, while Sabalenka will play Anastasia Potapova in the final.
It was defending champion Switek who secured a return to the semi-finals with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over 2018 champion Karolina Pliskova.
«I generally felt like I couldn’t really focus at the beginning,» Swiatek said.
“When you serve, milliseconds matter. So at the end of the first set I feel like I was playing good tennis, but it was too late to settle the score.
Sabalanka made a stunning comeback to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 as she had to break back to 4-4 in the second set.
«I was talking to myself and, OK, just try one more time, just try to get the ball back, and then run and move and try to win this game and maybe you can win this set,» Sabalenka said.
“So who knows what will happen in the third set? Of course, that game was a key game.
Potapova was delighted to book her first meeting with her good friend Sabalenka in the last four.
«Arina is a good friend of mine, and I think it will be fun,» Potopova said.
“I’m really looking forward to this match. I wanted to play with you, Arina, I didn’t know if you were watching!»
Potopova had to fight over No. 4 seed Caroline Garcia but failed to explain the result.
«Honestly, I don’t know,» Potapova said.
«Because today I didn’t play my best in the first set or the second set. I’m so glad I got through the third set.
Jaber, on the other hand, felt confident that she could overcome last year’s champion in their semi-final match.
«The good thing is that maybe Iga is not at the same level as last year,» Jaber said after the quarterfinals.
«I will focus on playing like I played on grass at Wimbledon [in 2021].
I think the key to not knowing which shots to make is not being predictable with the IGA. I think it would be great if I bothered her a lot.
Swiatek expects a tough competition with the highly talented Jaber.
«Every point counts because these matches are always tight,» Swiatek said.
«I hope it will be a good match, because I’m very happy to be back and to play in front of the crowd and just feel these emotions. I feel like I miss that even though my time off isn’t much.”
Read more: Ons Jabeur found his ‘A’ Game in Stuttgart
