TWO retirements marred the quarter finals of the Western and Southern Open women’s draw, with only two matches fully completed. It was a shorter day for Czech seeds Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova, with Pliskova winning against an injured Paul Badosa, as a stomach issue forced Kvitova out of the WTA Tour 1000 event. German Angelique Kerber made her way into the semis by Kvitova’s withdrawal, to face world number one Ash Barty, as unseeded Swiss talent Jil Teichmann upset a higher ranked compatriot.

The Kerber-Kvitova clash lasted a set and a half before the 11th seeded Czech had to retire, as the German was leading at the time 6-4 3-3 following an hour and 18 minutes of action. Kerber won 70.3 per cent of her first serve points off an impressive 69.8 per cent serving efficiency, whilst only being broken once. She broke Kvitova twice during the match, and in the end held off the seed long enough before Kvitova eventually had to pull the pin and hand Kerber a semi-finals spot.

Kerber will now face Barty in the semis after the Australian top seed defeated another Czech in Barbora Krejcikova. In a battle of two of the last three Roland Garros champions, Barty made light work of the ninth seed, winning 6-2 6-4 in 71 minutes on court. Barty served seven aces to two and only dropped four points off her first serve. She was inefficient on serve with just a 52.1 per cent clip, but was only broken once and instead broke Krejcikova four times during the match.

“Angie, she’s never been far off her best,” Barty said post-match of Kerber’s form. “She never is. “Even on some days where she’s not having or playing her best tennis, she finds a way to scrap and fight and stay in matches and give herself an opportunity. “She’s one of the best competitors in the world. “She knows how to play big tournaments, knows how to play big matches.

“She’s really locked down into the Angie of old, I think, in a sense where she’s confident, she’s aggressive, but she’s able to run and to move and put the ball in tricky spots, to not let you dictate too much. “That’s a challenge of when you play against Angie – you have to ride a fine line of not pressing too much, but not being too defensive where she can move you around the court. ”

The sole Czech to win on the day was Pliskova who took home the victory courtesy of Badosa’s retirement early in the second set. By that stage the fifth seed was leading 7-5 2-0, with Badosa apologising for having to pull out due to a right shoulder injury. In the one-hour and 14-minute clash, Pliskova broke the unseeded Spaniard four times to two, and won 65.6 per cent of her first serve points, and served the only five aces of the match.

In the other match, Teichmann became the lowest ranked player into the final four, set for a big rankings boost after a straight sets win over compatriot and 10th seed Belinda Bencic. Teichmann was ruthless during the 71-minute 6-3 6-2 victory, advancing through to the next round to face Pliskova for a spot in the final. The world number 76 won 84.6 per cent of her first serve points off a 66.1 per cent clip, also saving five break opportunities for the 10th seed, whilst breaking three times from eight chances to post the win.

“We hugged before the match; we hugged after the match,” Teichmann said post-match. “We know that once we step on court it’s business, it’s just another player I have to deal with, and she had the same mindset. At the beginning it’s obviously a bit special, but once we’re in it, we just look at the game, not looking at the opponent, or at least I do that way.”

WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN QUARTER FINALS RESULTS:

[1] Ash Barty (AUS) defeated [9] Barbora Krejcikova (CZE) 6-2 6-4
[5] Karolina Pliskova (CZE) defeated Paula Badosa (ESP) 7-5 2-0 RET
Jil Teichmann (SUI) defeated [10] Belinda Bencic (SUI) 6-3 6-2
Angelique Kerber (GER) defeated [11] Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6-3 3-3 RET

Picture credit: WTA/Jimmie48