LONDON — Former champions Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko stormed into the semi-finals of the Eastbourne WTA tournament with commanding straight-sets victories in the Wimbledon warm-up event.
Keys, the 2014 and 2023 Eastbourne title-winner, has still to drop a set at this year’s edition following a 6-3, 6-1 quarter-final win over McCartney Kessler in an all-American clash on England’s south coast.
Meanwhile, 2021 Eastbourne champion Ostapenko cruised into the last four with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Zeynep Sonmez, despite suffering from heat stroke the previous night.
Keys and Ostapenko are the last two seeds left in the women’s draw, AFP reported.
They each have one Grand Slam singles title to their credit, with Latvia’s Ostapenko, 29, the 2017 French Open champion and Keys, 31, triumphing at last year’s Australian Open.
Keys will face Petra Martinko in her semi-final after the Croatian defeated Caty McNally 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a gruelling two hours and 18 minutes.
“I’m very happy with the performance,” said Keys after reaching her fourth semi-final on Eastbourne’s grass courts.
