By Alberto Amalfi | Friday, October 14, 2016
Dominika Cibulkova stopped Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6 (3), 6-4, to set up a Linz semifinal against fourth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro.
Photo credit: Generali Ladies Linz
Continuing to play clean tennis, Dominika Cibulkova swept into her eighth semifinal of the season in Linz.
The second-seeded Slovak stopped Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6 (3), 6-4, setting up a Generali Ladies Linz semifinal against Carla Suarez Navarro.
Watch: Top 5 Players Who Can Succeed Kerber As Next No. 1
The fourth-seeded Spaniard denied Denisa Allertova, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, in a one hour, 57-minute quarterfinal.
Suarez Navarro advanced to her first semifinal since Birmingham last June. The world No. 12 won just one match during the recent Asian swing, but has dropped just one set in three Linz victories.
The 10th-ranked Cibulkova has won three of five meetings with Suarez Navarro, but the Spaniard with the brilliant one-handed backhand won their most recent encounter at Roland Garros earlier this season.
Wild card Madison Keys served 62 percent, hit six aces and saved all three break points she faced dispatching 19-year-old Frenchwoman Oceane Dodin, 6-3, 6-3, in 56 minutes.
Keys has dropped serve just twice and permitted only 15 games en route to her second straight semifinal.
The third-seeded American will play either top-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza or Viktorija Golubic for a place in the final.