Dubai Open: Paolini reaches semi-finals after Rybakina illness

Italian Jasmine Paolini moved into the last four of the Dubai Open after Kazakh Elena Rybakina, the No 4 seed, withdrew before the match due to illness on Thursday at The Aviation Club Tennis Centre.

Paolini, ranked No 26, will play the winner of the match between No 7 seed Marketa Vondrousova and Romanian Sorana Cirstea next.

The Italian beat Brazilian Beatriz Haddad Maia, the No 11 seed (4-6, 6-4, 6-0), Canadian Leylah Fernandez (6-3, 6-4) and Greek Maria Sakkari, the No 8 seed (6-4, 6-2) in the previous rounds of the Dubai tournament.

Earlier in the tournament, Rybakina, ranked No 4, benefited from the abandonment of Belarusian Victoria Azarenka (4-6, 6-2) and edged out Pole qualifier Magdalena Frech (7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-4).

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Tennis Majors

Dubai WTA 1000, other quarter-finals results (The Aviation Club Tennis Centre, hard, USD 3.211.715, most recent results first):

• Coco Gauff vs. Anna Kalinskaya
• Iga Swiatek vs. Qinwen Zheng
• Marketa Vondrousova vs. Sorana Cirstea: thursday