Tokyo: Qinwen to face Shnaider in semi-finals

China’s Zheng Qinwen, the top seed, moved into the semi-finals of the WTA Toray Pan Pacific Open by defeating Canadian Leylah Fernandez, the No 8 seed, 6-0, 1-6, 6-3 at the Ariake Coliseum on Friday.

The in levels the head-to-head between the two players at 2-2 with the Chinese player also winning their clash in Wuhan in three sets earlier this month.

Qinwen, ranked No 7, will play Russian Diana Shnaider, the No 6 seed, for a place in the final. It will be the first meeting between the two players.

Ahead of her win today, the 22-year-old Chinese won against Japanese Moyuka Uchijima (7-5, 6-0). It has been a successful Asian swing for her, having reached the semi-finals in Beijing and the final in Wuhan. Zheng has already qualified for the season-ending WTA Finals for the first time in her career.

Fernandez, ranked No 35, benefited from the retirement of Belarusian lucky loser Aliaksandra Sasnovich (5-7, 6-2, 5-2) and edged out Frenchwoman Varvara Gracheva (6-0, 3-6, 7-5) earlier in the week.

Tokyo WTA 500, other quarter-final results (Ariake Coliseum, hard, USD 922.573):

• Diana Shnaider beat Sayaka Ishii (walkover)
• Sofia Kenin (WC) beat Daria Kasatkina (3): 6-3, 6-4
• Katie Boulter (9) beat Bianca Andreescu (WC): 6-2, 6-1

You might also like this

Gauff qualifies for WTA Finals after spoiler, Zheng and Krejcikova complete field

tennis majors

Zheng shows enough to suggest this will not be her last slam final

tennis majors

Sabalenka completes three-peat in Wuhan by defeating Zheng

tennis majors