Naomi Osaka battles past Kiki Bertens to move into last four of Brisbane International

WTA Tour
Naomi Osaka in Brisbane

Naomi Osaka moved into the semi-finals of the Brisbane International of Friday, but she once again needed three sets to get the job done.

The Australian Open champion, seeded third, battled past Holland’s Kiki Bertens 6-3 3-6 6-3.

“I know I’m playing the best players in the world here and every round for me is really hard, so I’m just thinking about the things I can control during the match,” Osaka told the WTA website.

“My automatic reaction is just to tell myself I’m doing bad and I need to do better, but most of the time I think I need to realise that the better players that I play will also figure things out.”

Osaka will face Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova, who beat American Alison Riske 7-6 (6) 6-3, in the last four.

The second semi-final will see two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova take on former US Open finalist Madison Keys.

Kvitova, the fifth seed, defeated qualifier Jennifer Brady 6-4 6-2 and Keys beat fellow American Danielle Collins 6-4 6-1.

Serena Williams reached the semi-finals of the ASB Classic in Auckland with a straightforward 6-4 6-3 win over Laura Siegemund of Germany.

Top seed Williams will face an all-American meeting with Amanda Anisimova, who scrapped her way past Canadian Eugenie Bouchard 6-2 3-6 6-4.

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki beat Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-1 6-4 and will play Jessica Pegula of the USA in the last four.

At the Shenzhen Open Ekaterina Alexandrova beat Garbine Muguruza 6-4 6-3 to set up a final showdown with Elena Rybakina, who was a 6-2 7-5 winner against Kristyna Pliskova.

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