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3rd-seeded Petkovic and No. 5 Suarez Navarro reach semis

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP) - Third-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany advanced to the Diamond Games semifinals Friday after beating sixth-seeded Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (2), 6-0 in a scrappy match featuring 11 breaks of serve.

Both players dropped serve four times each in a wobbly first set, but Petkovic tightened up her game in the second set, where she did not allow a break point and broke Cibulkova's serve on all three opportunities.

Petkovic next faces Czech player Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, who broke German player Mona Barthel's serve five times in a 6-2, 6-2 win. Neither player managed an ace.

Earlier, fifth-seeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain and eighth-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic won their matches to set up a semifinal meeting.

Suarez Navarro saved 10 break points in a 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal win against former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone of Italy, who dropped her serve five times.

Pliskova defeated fourth-seeded countrywoman Lucie Safarova 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Both players hit eight aces each, while Pliskova saved four break points and broke Safarova's serve at the first opportunity in the second set.

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