Anne Keothavong has reached the semi-final of her first tournament of 2009, the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand.
Keothavong took just 23 minutes to win Thursday’s quarter-final, leading 6-0 against Ayumi Morita when the Japanese qualifier was forced to retire.
Morita, who had already played five matches to reach the last eight of the main draw, gave the 25 year-old from Hackney a relatively smooth passage through to the semi-final.
“Anne played a superb first set today, striking the ball at her best and serving very effectively before Morita retired,” said Nigel Sears, Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the LTA. “It was a great match for Anne because she is full of confidence and will go into tomorrow’s semi-final that much fresher.”
Keothavong will now meet Elena Vesnina on Friday after the Russian defeated the No.2 seed from Denmark, Caroline Wozniacki, 6-3 0-6 6-3. It will be the first time the British No.1 has faced Vesnina, who is ranked No.76 in the world.
Boggo bows out in New Caledonia
Alex Bogdanovic's run at the $75k Challenger in Noumea came to an end on Thursday at the quarter-final stage. The British No.2 lost a long three setter against German wildcard Florian Mayer 6-7(3) 7-5 1-6.
However, Bogdanovic is also through to the last eight in the doubles with Josh Goodall. The British pair, who are seeded No.4, are set to face either Stephane Bohli of Switzerland and Alexandre Sidorenko of France or Romanians Victor Crivoi and Victor Ionita.