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Emma Raducanu delivered a dominant performance to book her place in the semi finals of the Transylvania Open, sweeping aside Poland's Maja Chwalinska in straight sets.
The British number one wasted little time asserting control, racing through the opening set in just 25 minutes without conceding a single game. Raducanu's aggressive shot making and sharp movement left Chwalinska, who is ranked 146th in the world, struggling to find any rhythm early on.
The second set proved more competitive as Chwalinska settled into the match and began to extend rallies. However, Raducanu remained composed and struck at a crucial moment, breaking serve at 3 3 before closing out a 6 0 6 4 victory with confidence.
The win marks only the fourth time Raducanu has reached the semi finals of a tournament since her remarkable US Open triumph in 2021. Speaking after the match, the 23 year old said she was pleased with how she approached the contest from the outset and proud of the way she handled the tougher moments in the second set.
Raducanu has now won three matches in a row following her recent decision to part ways with coach Francis Roig after an early exit at the Australian Open. The run in Transylvania is her first appearance in a semi final since the Washington Open last July, and another victory would take her to her first final since lifting the US Open trophy.
Next up for Raducanu is Ukraine's Oleksandra Oliynykova, who reached her first WTA Tour semi final after recording her maiden top 50 victory. Oliynykova defeated Chinese fourth seed Wang Xinyu 6 4 6 4, showing impressive resilience by saving 21 of the 23 break points she faced. Sporting temporary bat tattoos in a playful reference to Transylvania's folklore, Oliynykova maintained her focus throughout the contest.
Elsewhere, British number two Sonay Kartal suffered a difficult outing at the Abu Dhabi Open, losing 6 0 6 2 to Czech player Sara Bejlek in the quarter finals. Kartal dropped the opening set in just 22 minutes and endured a run of 10 consecutive games lost before finally holding serve midway through the second set.
Although Kartal briefly reduced the deficit to 4 2 after breaking serve, Bejlek responded immediately and went on to convert her first match point. Kartal has now been beaten in
three of her four WTA Tour quarter final appearances, with her lone success coming during her title run at the Jasmin Open in 2024.
Bejlek will face Danish third seed Clara Tauson in the semi finals on Friday.
