Iga Swiatek downs Karolina Pliskova to book spot in Stuttgart last four

The defending champion and world No 1, Iga Swiatek, showcased all her experience to book a semi-final place at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart.

Swiatek fought back from a set down against Karolina Pliskova to claim a 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory. She will now face the Tunisian Ons Jabeur, who dropped only three games in seeing off Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-3, 6-0.

Swiatek is one win away from reaching the final in her first tournament for over a month after suffering a rib injury.

The world No 2, Aryna Sabalenka, will meet Anastasia Potapova in the second semi-final after Sabalenka beat the wild card Paula Badosa 4-6 6-3 6-3.

In the men’s Barcelona Open, Britain’s Dan Evans booked a semi-final place with a comeback victory over Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo. Evans lost the first set, but responded in high-class fashion to secure a 2-6, 7-5, 6-3 triumph.

Evans will face the defending champion and top seed, Carlos Alcaraz, at the last-four stage on Saturday after Alcaraz saw off his fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in straight sets.

And the other semi-final sees Stefanos Tsitsipas meeting Lorenzo Musetti, who had a walkover in his quarter-final.

Meanwhile, in Bosnia Novak Djokovic suffered a shock defeat in the Srpska Open quarter-finals with a straight sets loss against Dusan Lajovic.

It was the first time that world No 1 Djokovic had lost to a fellow Serbian since Janko Tipsarevic beat him 11 years ago.

Djokovic, who admitted during his pre-tournament press conference that he had been battling an elbow issue, lost 6-4, 7-6 at Banja Luka on the Bosnian clay.

For Lajovic, it was only his third career victory against a player in the top five of the world rankings.

It was Djokovic’s third defeat of the season,