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The 8th seed Yafan Wang is safely through to the third semi-final of 2019 in Seoul, defeating Paula Badosa 6-1, 6-3 in 63 minutes. Both players struggled to find the first serve and it was Wang who drew the most from that, dropping ten points in eight service games and fending off the only break point she faced to challenge Badosa all the time.
The young Spaniard failed to repeat those numbers, giving away half of the points behind the initial shot and getting broken four times from six chances offered to Wang. Settling into a great rhythm right from the start, Yafan sailed through service games and broke the opponent in games two and six, opening a massive lead and closing the set with a hold in game seven for a 6-1.
Badosa wasted that break chance in the fourth game of the second set, allowing Wang to rattle off the last four games of the match and advance into the semi-final. There, she will face Karolina Muchova who ousted Priscilla Hon 6-3, 6-3 in an hour and 22 minutes, fending off all eight break chances she met and delivering three successful return games to seal the deal in straight sets.
The first set was decided in the sixth game when Muchova grabbed a break, bringing it home with two easy holds for a 6-3. The Czech controlled the pace in set number two as well with an early break, defending six break points in games four and eight and moving over the top with another break at love at 5-3 that pushed her into the last four.
The 4th seed Magda Linette proved to be too good for Kirsten Flipkens, scoring a 6-2, 6-3 victory in an hour and 21 minutes for the third semi-final of the season. Magda had the upper hand in her games after erasing five out of six break chances, taking 55% of the return points to grab five breaks and race over the finish line.
Linette took the opener with breaks in games five and seven, fending off a couple of break chances in game eight for a 6-2 and forging a 4-1 advantage in the second set with a double break. Flipkens pulled one break back but it was all over when Magda broke her at 5-3 to stay on the course for the second title in 2019.
The 2nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova prevailed against Kristie Ahn 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 33 minutes, firing 22 aces and repelling six out of eight break points to limit the damage in her games. The American fought like a lioness but had to finish on the losing side, suffering four breaks and wasting an early lead in the decider to propel her rival through.