Kerber and Wozniacki reach Dubai semifinals

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES >> Top-seeded Angelique Kerber journeyed to her first Dubai Tennis Championships semifinals, while Caroline Wozniacki reached her sixth semi at the tournament on Thursday.

Kerber, who is two match wins away from returning to the No. 1 ranking, beat Ana Konjuh of Croatia 6-3, 6-2 in the quarterfinals.

Kerber raced to 4-0, and won the remaining games from 2-2 in the second set.

She will play seventhseeded Elina Svitolina. The Ukrainian improved her career record against Lauren Davis to 4-0 after defeating the American 6-0, 6-4 in the quarterfinals.

Kerber leads Svitolina 5-4 in career meetings, but Svitolina has won their last two matches, including at Brisbane last month.

“She won like the important moments in Brisbane,” Kerber said. “So I will just trying to take the positive things from the match. I will talk to my coach, and go out there tomorrow and take the new challenge.”

Wozniacki, who won the Dubai title in 2011, defeated Catherine “Cici” Bellis 6-3, 6-2.

Wozniacki reached the Doha final last week, losing the title to Karolina Pliskova. She’s played nine matches in the last nine days.

Bellis, the youngest player in the draw at 17, scored the biggest win of her six-month-old pro career on Wednesday when she upset her first top-10 player, sixth-ranked Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

The American started the match confidently, jumping out to 3-1, but couldn’t sustain the momentum.

“It was really fun for me to see what the highest level is (like),” Bellis said.

In a fight strictly from the baseline, Wozniacki won the next nine games to lead 6-3, 4-0.