By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday August 7, 2020
Top-seeded Petra Martic and fourth-seeded Anett Kontaveit powered through to reach the semis of the Palermo Open on Friday, and they were joined by Italy’s Camila Giorgi and France’s Fiona Ferro.
Martic, currently ranked 15, needed two hours and 18 to secure a hard-fought 7-5(5) 7-6(3) victory over Aliaksandra Sasnovich. 29-year-old Martic jumps to 9-5 on the season and will face Kontaveit in the semis.
The Croatian has now achieved a quarter-final or better in her last six clay-court events.
Kontaveit hammered 57 winners in a 6-1 4-6 6-1 win over 19-year-old Italian wild card Elisabetta Cocciaretto.
Kontaveit and Martic most recently met in the quarter-finals of Dubai in February, with the Croatian coming through in straights.
In the last match of the evening Italy’s Giorgi saved a pair of match points to defeat Yastremska 4-6 7-6(5) 6-3. The Italian saved the match points with Yastremska serving at 5-4 in the second set to avenge a first-round lost to the Ukrainian at Wimbledon last year.
Giorgi will face France’s Fiona Ferro in Saturday’s semi-finals.