WTA Roundup: Leylah Fernandez surges into Singapore semis

SINGAPORE: No. 6 seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada knocked out top-seeded Russian Mirra Andreeva 6-2, 7-5 in the quarterfinals of the Singapore Tennis Open on Friday.

Fernandez converted six of 11 break points in the 92-minute match, including the clinching game to set up a semifinal meeting against No. 5 Maja Chwalinska of Poland. Chwalinska ousted No. 4 Elise Mertens of Belgium 6-2, 6-2 in 89 minutes.

The other semifinal of the WTA 500 tournament will feature unseeded Tatiana Prozorova of Russia and Talia Gibson of Australia. Prozorova outlasted China's Xinyu Wang 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 in just over three hours, while Gibson eliminated No. 7 Maria Sakkari of Greece 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 in just under two hours.

Korea Open

Rain interrupted the quarterfinals in Seoul, with all matches moving to Saturday.

No. 2 Kimberly Birrell of Australia was leading Katie Volynets 2-6, 6-2, 4-2 in the day's first match when play was suspended.

The other quarterfinals feature No. 3 Lanlana Tararudee of Thailand against No. 5 Maya Joint of Australia; No. 4 Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania against No. 6 Anna Bondar of Hungary; and Australia's Taylah Preston against Russia's Alina Korneeva.

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Billie Jean King Cup

The Czech Republic was the first country to reach the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup when Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova swept their singles matches against Spain in Shenzhen, China.

Muchova took down Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5, 6-4, and Noskova followed with a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over Cristina Bucsa, amassing a 7-0 edge in aces. The doubles match was not needed as a result.

The Czechs will face either Ukraine or defending champion Italy in Sunday's finals. Ukraine and Italy will play the other semifinal match Saturday. --REUTERS