Simona Halep to face Jelena Ostapenko in semifinals of Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

DUBAI: Jelena Ostapenko walked a tightrope to victory at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Thursday, scrambling her way to a 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 win over former champion Petra Kvitova.

She will now face 2015 and 2020 champion Simona Halep, who ended the hopes of eighth seed Ons Jabeur by winning 6-4, 6-3.

The second semifinal will feature Veronika Kudermetova who beat Jil Teichmann 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in another lengthy battle, and qualifier Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated Dayana Yastremska 7-5, 6-4.

Vondrousova is only the third qualifier to reach the semifinals, after Rachel McQuillan in 2001 and Jennifer Brady in 2020 and, at 146th, Yastremska is the lowest-ranked player to ever reach the Dubai quarterfinals.

Ostapenko, who also reached the semifinals in St. Petersburg last week, twice faced elimination as the outcome remained in doubt right up until the final ball of the two-hour, 39-minute contest.

Colm McLoughlin, executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of Dubai Duty Free, said: “The intense battle between Jelena Ostapenko and Petra Kvitova left us breathless, and we were on the edge of our seats as the momentum swung first one way and then the other.

“The other quarterfinals also provided wonderful entertainment, and we congratulate all today’s winners and eagerly look forward to discovering who will qualify for Saturday’s final.”

After a blistering start in which she held a point to lead 5-1, Ostapenko saw Kvitova fight back to snatch the opening set. In the second set, Kvitova broke to lead 1-0 and Ostapenko continued to struggle on her serve, at one stage clutching her hip as it appeared that her long second-round match was taking its toll on her.

But then, serving at 5-4 and after being