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Vinci reaches Wuhan Open semifinals

Xinhua, October 1, 2015 Adjust font size:

US Open finalist Roberta Vinci became the first player to reach the Wuhan Open semifinals on Thursday by ousting No. 8 seeded Karolina Pliskova.

The Italian veteran has now won 10 of her last 11 matches. Vinci followed up her third round upset over No. 3 seed Petra Kvitova with another upset in the quarterfinals, this time against WTA rising star Pliskova.

The early momentum shifted a few times - first Vinci jumped out to a 3-1 lead, then Pliskova got back on serve, and the two went to a tie-break. That was when Vinci took the momentum in a big way - she not only raced through that breaker 7-2, she went up 3-0 in the second set.

And she never looked back. The two went into a holding pattern from there, neither one budging on their service games until the No. 15-seeded Italian served out the match for a 7-6 (2), 6-3 victory.

"I'm in the semifinals - I'm so happy!" Vinci told her on-court interviewer right after the match.

"Today was another tough match. Karolina plays so good, and so flat, so for me it was difficult, especially at the beginning. But I served well and I'm really happy I'm in the semifinals here in Wuhan for the first time - it's incredible here, a nice city, nice court - it's really exciting."

Pliskova led the winners count on the day, 26 to 21, but she also had more than twice as many unforced errors as Vinci, 30 to 14. At the end of the day it was the more solid Italian who came good.

And so, Vinci's resurgence continues - having put together a 21-20 win-loss record in the first eight months of the season, the former world No.11 has gone 10-1 since the start of the US Open, the only loss coming in the final in Flushing Meadows to good friend and fellow Italian Flavia Pennetta. Endi