September 18, 2015 | By Long Island Tennis Magazine Staff
American Christina McHale made her way into the Japan Open semifinals on Friday, battling back from a set down to beat China’s Saisai Zheng 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 and reach the final four in Tokyo.
The match was relatively even, but the 60th-ranked American McHale was able to secure the lone break point of the final set to move on. She took advantage of six double-faults from Zheng to advance in two hours and 31 minutes.
The sixth-seed McHale will next play Poland’s Magda Linnette, who rolled past Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei 6-3, 6-3.
The other American left in the draw heading into Friday’s action was fourth-seeded Madison Brengle, but she was ousted by Croatia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. She rallied from a set down to upend Brengle 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 and move into the semifinals.
After falling down a set, she dominated the beginnings of the second and third sets en route to coming out victorious in one hour and 54 minutes.
Tomljanovic will play Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer in the semifinals. Wickmayer came back from a set down herself to beat Ukraine’s Kateryna Bondarenko 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
