MADRID — Egypt’s tennis player Mayar Sherif reached the semi-finals of the Valencia Open.
No.1 seed Sherif, world no. 40, defeated American qualifier Ann Li, world no. 204, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the last 4 of the tournament.
The Egyptian won against Chilean lucky loser Daniela Seguel (6-0, 6-1) and Argentinian Maria Lourdes Carle (6-2, 6-1) earlier in the tournament.
In the previous rounds of the tournament, Li, ranked No 204, won against Croat qualifier Lea Boskovic (6-3, 6-7 (1), 6-3) and Hungarian Panna Udvardy, the No 6 seed (6-3, 6-2).
Last week, Sherif prevailed in a mammoth battle in the WTA 125 Makarska Open final in Croatia , saving six championship points in a 2-6, 7-6(6), 7-5 victory over No.2 seed Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
In a showdown between two of the most successful performers at WTA 125 tournaments, it was World No.54 Sherif who triumphed in just under three hours in her first meeting with Paolini, ranked one spot higher at No.53.
Sherif improves her perfect record in WTA 125 finals to 5-0. This is the Egyptian’s first WTA 125 title of this year after winning three of those titles last season and another in 2021. Paolini, meanwhile, is now a two-time winner and a two-time runner-up at WTA 125 events.
Sherif trailed 6-2, 5-2 in the match, and stared down three championship points on her serve at 5-4. The Egyptian mixed in winning passes and drop shots to drag the set into a tiebreak, but Paolini fired an error-forcing forehand to garner two more championship points at 6-4 in the breaker.
However, Sherif erased those as well, and she fired another deft drop shot to lead 7-6 and grab her first set point. There, Sherif slammed a backhand winner to level the match at one set apiece.
Sherif faced a sixth championship point down 5-3 in the third set, but she fired a passing winner to erase Paolini’s last chance. Sherif then broke for 5-5 on her fifth break point of that lengthy game, and she eased to her fifth career WTA 125 title from there, winning the last four games in succession.
Elsewhere, German Tamara Korpatsch defeated Spanish wildcard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-1, 6-3 to advance to the last four of the Valencia Open.
Korpatsch, ranked No 124, will play Spaniard Marina Bassols Ribera next.
The German won against Swiss Ylena In-Albon (6-1, 6-2) and American Caroline Dolehide (6-1, 6-3) in the previous rounds of the Valencia BBVA Open.
Earlier in the tournament, Bouzas Maneiro, ranked No 178, benefited from the abandonment of Austrian Julia Grabher, the second seed (6-3, 2-1) and edged out Dane Clara Tauson (6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4).
Spaniard Marina Bassols Ribera won against Italian Sara Errani, the No 3 seed, 7-6 (7), 6-4 to move into the last 4.
Bassols Ribera, ranked No 130, will play the winner of the match between German Tamara Korpatsch and Spanish wildcard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro next.
The Spaniard defeated wildcard Charo Esquiva Banuls (6-2, 6-2) and lucky loser Guiomar Maristany Zuleta De Reales (6-4, 6-4) in the previous rounds of the BBVA Open.
Earlier in the tournament, Errani, ranked No 69, beat Latvian qualifier Darja Semenistaja (6-4, 6-0) and edged out Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo (6-1, 1-6, 6-4).
Russian Veronika Kudermetova, meanwhile, advanced to the semi-finals of the Dutch Open by beating Swiss wildcard Celine Naef 6-3, 6-2 at the Autotron Rosmalen in’s-Hertogenbosch.
The Russian benefitted from the abandonment of American Alison Riske-Amritraj (6-3, 3-0) and won against Canadian qualifier Carol Zhao (6-1, 6-3) ahead of her victory.
In the previous rounds of the Rosmalen tournament, Naef, ranked No 202, won against American wildcard Venus Williams (3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-2) and American Catherine McNally, the No 8 seed (3-6, 6-4, 6-3).
Qualifier Heather Watson beat Swiss Viktorija Golubic 7-6 (2), 7-5 to move into the semi-finals of the Nottingham Open.
Watson, ranked No 195, will face wildcard Katie Boulter next. With Boulter and Jodie Burrage also winning through, it’s the first time three British women have made the semis of the same WTA event since 1975.
Heather Watson won against German Jule Niemeier (6-4, 6-3) and German Tatjana Maria (6-4, 6-4) ahead of her victory.
In the previous rounds of the Nottingham tournament, Golubic, ranked No 150, won against Jil Teichmann (6-4, 6-3) and Croat Donna Vekic, the No 4 seed (6-4, 6-1).
