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Mayar Sherif upset the eighth seed Kristina Kucova in their quarter-final at the Winners Open on Friday. The Egyptian won 6-3, 6-1 in 67 minutes. From the first point to the last, Sherif dominated the proceedings of the match against the Slovakian.
Sherif put in 78% of her first serves and won 81% of her first-serve points. In comparison, Kucova put in 44% of her first serves and won just 40% of her first-serve points. Sherif also won almost 78% of her second-serve points while Kucova could only manage to win 56% points off her second serves.
Sherif didn’t face a single break point in the match while she converted all four break points, she had on Kucova’s serve. Sherif finished the match with 56 points to Kucova’s 30.
Winners Open: Mayar Sherif to seek history against Mihaela Buzarnescu
The 25-year-old’s the first player from Egypt to reach the semi-finals of a WTA tournament.
For a place in the final, Sherif will take on Mihaela Buzarnescu. The Romanian, who’s continuing to hold the fort for Romania at home this week, got past her quarter-final against Kristyna Pliskova in straight sets. Buzarnescu won 7-5, 6-3 in an hour and 27 minutes.
Buzarnescu was broken once in the match but broke the Czech thrice in the match. She won 74 points for the match, 18 more than her opponent’s 56. At the bottom of the draw, Aleksandra Krunic was the first to reach the semi-finals in Cluj-Napoca.
The Serbian ousted Kucova’s compatriot, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-3, 6-0 in an hour and 24 minutes. Krunic saved all five break points she faced while making good of all five break points she had on Schmiedlova’s serve.
Krunic won 71 points to Schmiedlova’s 49. For a spot in the Winners Open final, Krunic will play Seone Mendez or second seed Andrea Petkovic. Their match, the last of the day, was suspended with Petkovic leading Mendez 6-7(6), 6-4, 5-1.
Earlier, the German, the last seed left in the draw, had overturned a set and a break deficit against the Australian qualifier.