(Linz) Alison Riske defeated China’s Wang Xinyu 6-3, 7-5 on Wednesday to set the table for an all-American semi-final against Danielle Collins at the Linz tournament.
Collins, who is aiming for a third title this season, toppled Belgian Alison Van Uytvanck 7-5, 6-3.
Simona Halep also reached the quarterfinal, coming from behind before winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini.
Riske and Collins have previously crossed swords only once – in Rome in 2018 when Collins won in three sets.
Riske, 73e Racquet World, will compete in a second semi-final this year, having reached the final in Slovenia in September.
ORLANDO RAMIREZ PHOTO, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Alison riske
She was 5-2 behind in the second set against Wang before climbing back up. Wang had caused the surprise in the previous round by beating Emma Raducanu, recent champion of the United States Open.
Collins, 29e in the world rankings, for its part, made up for a delay of a break in service in the first round against Van Uytvanck.
In the other semi-final, Halep, former queen of women’s tennis, will play against her Romanian compatriot Jacqueline Cristian. The latter defeated Russian Veronika Kudermetova 6-3, 7-6 (5).