The No. 5 seed Barbora Krejcikova is the highest ranked player still standing as the Internationaux de Strasbourg reached the semi-final on Thursday.

Krejcikova, seeking her first WTA singles title, defeated third seed Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4), 6-1 in a battle between the two top-ranked players who reached the quarter-finals.

Alexandrova had beaten Krejcikova in their previous three encounters, but the Czech turned it around this time around, coming back from a breakdown in the opening set to take the win in an hour and 37 minutes.

“I played against her several times, and I always started very badly in the first set, then she always improved really, really well,” Krejcikova told reporters after her victory. “I felt like this time I had to start the first set really well, and I still lost serve and I was still down, but I was closer, and I felt that the tiebreaker was the deciding point of the game.”

Krejcikova was broken at love to surrender an early break to Alexandrova, as the Russian steadily sent the winners past Krejcikova to open a 4-2 lead. But Krejcikova tied the set at 4-4 after a forehand down the line found the touchline on the breaking point.

The pair moved on to the first-set tiebreaker, where an ace gave Krejcikova a 4-1 lead. Another solid serve from the Czech was returned by Alexandrova to set up a triple set point at 6-3, and on her second attempt Krejcikova closed the one-set lead after a backhand from Alexandrova had flew away.

Alexandrova held on to start the second set, but that would be her last bright spot as Krejcikova rattled off six straight matches to claim victory. Krejcikova won 77 points behind her first serve in the second set to advance to the semifinals.

“I see that I’m improving with every shot, my physique, my mental, everything,” Krejcikova said. “I’m just happy to be able to show it on the court and play at this high level and play against all the top players. It’s something I really enjoy doing, so I’m happy to be here.”

In the semi-finals, Krejcikova will face this week’s surprise, German qualifier Jule Niemeier. The world No. 216 picked up her first-ever WTA main draw victory in the first round, then picked up two more victories on Thursday to secure a spot in the semi-finals.

“I’m surprised, yes, but obviously I’m very happy to have won both matches today,” Niemeier told reporters after his emotional performance on Thursday. “I’m just really happy with the way I’m playing right now.”

“I know what I can play and what I can do on the court, so I can cause problems!” laughed Niemeier.

Niemeier finished a 6-4, 7-6(6) upset in the second round over No. 7 seed Shelby Rogers in the morning. That match was interrupted by rain on Wednesday with Niemeier leading 6-4, 2-1, but the delay didn’t hamper qualification as she remained solid in a tight tiebreak to oust the world No. 46.

At the end of the day, Niemeier secured a quarter-final victory, storming 84th-placed Arantxa Rus 6-4, 6-1 in 73 minutes. Niemeier was stellar on serve in this game, winning 82% of his first-serve points and never facing a break point in his clash against the Dutch left-hander.

Niemeier said he learned this week “that I have the level, that I can follow all the players. I have beaten two players who are in the Top 100 now, Shelby is in the Top 50. I have the game, and I can beat them.”

“I’ve been injured for so long in the past so it wasn’t easy for me,” the 21-year-old continued. “I just like being on the pitch and playing against really good players.”

“I don’t feel the pressure because I’m ranked [over] 200 at the moment, so I have nothing to lose,” added the German.

The second semi-final will pit No. 8 seed Magda Linette against one of the most resurgent players of 2021, Sorana Cirstea.

Linette edged past fourth seed Yulia Putintseva, 6-3, 6-3 in their 74-minute quarter-final clash. Linette won 77% of her first-serve points and broke serve four times to sweep the two-time Roland Garros quarter-finalist.

The Polish player now finds herself in her first WTA semi-final since her title run in Hua Hin in February last season.

Cirstea, meanwhile, had an unorthodox run in the semis. She beat No. 6 seed Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-1 in a rescheduled second-round match this morning.

The winner of that match was guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals as potential quarter-final opponent Bianca Andreescu withdrew from the tournament after winning the second round due to an abdominal injury. . Cirstea ended up taking advantage of this opportunity, passing Zhang in exactly one hour.

Cirstea is climbing the WTA ladder again after winning her second career singles title in Istanbul last month – her first singles title since triumphing in Tashkent as a teenager in 2008. Cirstea is currently ranked No. ° 61 in the world, 25 places higher than her. Year-end ranking 2020.