– Reuters pic, September 25, 2015.Top-seed Caroline Wozniacki survived a nail-biting scare Friday against Angelique Kerber of Germany at the Pan Pacific Open, advancing to a semi-final showdown against Belinda Bencic.
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The eighth-seeded Bencic had beaten Wozniacki in all three of their meetings this year and always looked likely to extend that run against the Dane, last year’s runner-up in Japan.
“I think we both played really well (in the third set)”.
Cibulkova will take on seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska after the Pole beat Pliskova 7-5 6-2.
“I started off well in the first set”.
The Swiss was just too good on the day with her aggressive play plus being very consistent in her all round game.
And despite a second-set wobble, Wozniacki came through at the expense of her German opponent with a 6-2 2-6 6-3 win.
Jankovic also fought off a match point in the 10th game of the final set to help end an eight-match winning streak by Wickmayer.
In the other half of the draw, Dominika Cibulkova repeated her recent US Open win over Ivanovic, and in straight sets to boot.
“I’m playing energy tennis”.Thursday Cibulkova defeated the Spanish Carla Suarez Navarro, seeded sixth, 6-4, 6-4, but then withdrew from a doubles match with an acute gastrointestinal illness and a report of the WTA considered it “questionable” his presence in the quarter-finals.
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In Seoul, unheralded Aliaksandra Sasnovich stunned American third seed Sloane Stephens 6-3, 6-2 to reach the WTA Korea Open semifinals Friday.
