Ana Konjuh won her seventh match in the last eight attempts as she defeated American Jennifer Brady 6-4 7-5 to reach the semi finals of the Guangzhou Women's Open.
Konjuh records only break of the set early, fights off late Brady challenge to win the opener
In what appeared to be a mismatch on paper started out exactly like that as Konjuh broke to love and held to 15, a 2-0 lead in the blink of an eye, losing just one point in the two games combined. Brady would settle in and not face another break point in the set, but her opening blip would cost her.
Each player held without much trouble except for the third game as Konjuh reached deuce, but Brady warded off any further trouble. In the tenth game with the Croat attempting to serve out the set, Brady had all five of her break chances, but failed to convert on any of them. Konjuh would take the set on her second set point to close out a 14-point game and assume a one set lead.
One break again decides the set, this time Konjuh gets it late to take the match
As with the first set, both players held comfortably as the first ten games saw five holds apiece, each player with two love holds. Neither player faced a break point in this span, but Konjuh was able to set up and convert the lone break point of the set in the eleventh game as she took her second chance for a 6-5 lead. Unlike the first set, the 18-year old had little trouble serving out the set, and with it, the match, holding to 15 for a hard-earned and deserved victory and a semi final date with second seed Jelena Jankovic.