Radwanska, Wozniacki Reach Tokyo Semifinals

Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki edged Angelique Kerber 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 on Thursday to move into the Toray Pan Pacific Open semifinals.

Kerber came into this match a winner of three of the last four meetings with Wozniacki, but the Dane came out firing in the opening set. She captured the first set 6-2, but Kerber answered back in the second.

The German took the second set 6-2 to force a deciding third set. She then opened up the third by breaking Wozniacki, but the Dane rattled off six of the final eight games to hold on and secure the victory.

“It was a tough match—it always is when I play Angelique,” said Wozniacki. “I started off well in the first set. I was playing well, and she was making quite a few errors. Second set it turned around, but it was competitive towards the end, and in the first set I thought we both played at a really high level. The third set could have gone both ways, but I won the important points, so I’m really happy.”

Wozniacki broke five times in nine chances and saved 10 break points. She moves into a semifinal matchup with Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who owns a 3-1 head-to-head record against Wozniacki.

Bencic moved past third-seeded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza 7-6(1), 6-1 in her quarterfinal.

In another high-level quarterfinal matchup, seventh-seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland defeated fourth-seed Karolina Pliskova 7-5, 6-2 on Thursday.

Radwanska displayed some solid returning in this one, giving herself 14 break point chances, converting on four of them to take the match in straight sets.

“We recently played on the grass so I really knew what to expect—great power, great serve. I also saw her playing here so I knew she was playing really great tennis.

I’m used to being one of the smallest, so I’m used to playing girls who hit it pretty hard. It’s always a strong tournament here so of course I’m happy to be in the semifinals again.”

She will meet Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the semifinals. Cibulkova continued her dominance over Ana Ivanovic with a 7-6(5), 6-3 win over the Serb on Thursday.