Angelique Kerber v Simona Halep up at Eastbourne, but Caroline Wozniacki and Johanna Konta out

Shahida Jacobs
Angelique Kerber

Former world No 1s Angelique Kerber and Simona Halep will battle it out for a place in the semi-final at the Nature Valley International.

Fourth seed Kerber initially took her time to get going against Rebecca Peterson, but once she settled down she brushed aside the Swede 7-6 (7-3), 6-0.

“I was feeling good so far,” reigning Wimbledon champion Kerber said after the match. “The first set was really close and tough.

“I mean, she had [two] set points in the first set, but then I was playing good in the tiebreak. And then starting good in the second set and finding then my rhythm even better in the second set, so it was a good match.”

Up next is another tricky encounter as she will take on former French Open champion Halep for a place in the last four.

Halep came through a tough second-round clash against Polona Hercog as she dropped the second set against the Slovenian qualifier before winning 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.

Third seed Kiki Bertens had too much for Anna-Lena Friedsam as she beat the German 6-3, 6-3 to set up a clash against eighth seed Aryna Sabalenka.

In a repeat of the 2018 Eastbourne final, Belarusian Sabalenka ousted defending champion Caroline Wozniacki with a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) victory.

“Of course I’m happy with this win, and especially against Caroline,” Sabalenka said. “She’s a great player, and I lost to her in the final here last year. This win is really important for me, and I didn’t win these tough matches for long, since last year.”

British No 1 Johanna Konta was another casualty as she was beaten by Ons Jabeur with the Tunisian claiming a 6-3, 6-2 win.

“I definitely feel I’m bringing the same sort of thought processes and the same ideas from the clay to the grass,” the 14th-seeded Konta said.

“This surface demands certain adjustments and adaptations. I definitely feel like I have been able to adjust well movement-wise and also accepting on what the majority of points look like on the grass versus the clay.”

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