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| Reuters |
Second seed Lin Zhu of China took another step toward defending her title at the Thailand Open by defeating Australian Arina Rodionova 6-3, 6-3 in a quarterfinal match Friday in Hua Hin.
Zhu had a 5-1 edge in aces and won 22 of her 29 first-service points (76 percent) to ease into the semifinals. Her victory at last year's tournament marked the first tour-level title of her career.
Her semifinal opponent will be unseeded countrywoman Yafan Wang, who rallied past American Katie Volynets 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
No. 3 seed Xinyu Wang makes it a trio of Chinese players reaching the penultimate round, as she battled past Kazakh seventh seed Yulia Putintseva 6-1, 3-6, 6-3. Xinyu Wang will face Russian 19-year-old Diana Shnaider, who was a 6-2, 6-1 winner over Hungary's Dalma Galfi.
