Harriet Dart continued her sparkling run at the Guangzhou Open, beating former world No 2 Paula Badosa to reach her second WTA semi-final. The British No 3 looked up against it after losing the first set 6-3 but rebounded brilliantly to win the next two sets 6-2 6-4, securing her fifth victory in a row and one of the finest of her career. It was an incredible battle, Dart said in her on-court interview on Sky Sports. I thought Paula started really strongly. I was always behind, but I knew going in that it was going to be an incredibly tough match. Dart is into her first WTA semi-final since the Transylvania Open in 2024, having beaten Tatiana Prozorova and Janice Tjen in the earlier stages after coming through two qualifying rounds.
World No 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew injured against Leylah Fernandez in the Pan Pacific Open to exit the tournament at the quarter-final stage. The Kazakh player withdrew from the match before a point was played, giving the Canadian Fernandez safe passage into the last four in Tokyo, where she will play Kamilla Rakhimova for a place in the final. I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming today, but unfortunately I won't be able to play, the 27-year-old said on-court. I've been struggling for a couple of days with a little injury. It's difficult for me to come and play at 100 per cent since there is also a very important tournament coming up. Rybakina beat Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals and will stay the world No 1 at the conclusion of a year in which she won two Grand Slams - the Australian Open and the U.S. Open. Having won Wimbledon in 2022, Rybakina - a 27-year-old born in Russia but representing Kazakhstan - is only a French Open title away from completing the career Grand Slam. She described her year-end status as an incredibly special moment for me.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing