Noskova Continues Her Progress: Czech Dominates Kartal and Qualifies for the WTA 1000 Beijing Semifinals
In the first quarterfinal of the day in Beijing, Linda Noskova demonstrated her superiority by ending Sonay Kartal's impressive run in the Chinese capital.
Following the qualifications of Coco Gauff and Amanda Anisimova for the semifinals and the upcoming duel later in the day between Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro, the United States is celebrating at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing.
However, the semifinal lineup was to be completed by a surprise guest, as the other quarterfinal of the day pitted world No. 27 Linda Noskova against WTA No. 81 Sonay Kartal. Both players were fighting to reach their very first semifinal in this category of tournaments.
While the British player was a novice at this stage of a WTA 1000 competition, this was not the case for the Czech, who had reached the quarterfinals in Dubai earlier in the season. At that time, she had lost to the tournament's eventual finalist, Clara Tauson.
But there was an opportunity for one of these two players today. And clearly, the one who took the most advantage of the situation was Noskova. Having already defeated Kartal in Rome earlier in the season, the Czech showed her superiority and won in two sets (6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 10 minutes).
The 20-year-old player thus advances to the semifinals, where she will be surrounded by Americans. Her opponent in the semifinals will be either Emma Navarro or Jessica Pegula, who are facing off later in the day.
After her victories against Wang Xiyu (6-3, 6-2), Zheng Qinwen (6-4, 3-6, 3-0 ret.), and Anastasia Potapova (6-2, 6-4) earlier in the tournament, Noskova continues to make steady progress, quietly.
This current run (which can still be improved) allows her to provisionally reach the 22nd position, marking the best ranking of her career so far. She also becomes the youngest Czech player to reach the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event.
Pékin 
