NANCHANG, China – Risa Ozaki overcame a nervous start to shock No.3 seed Francesca Schiavone in Friday’s Jiangxi Open quarterfinals.

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Competing in just the second WTA quarterfinal of her career, the occasion appeared to overwhelm Ozaki at first, Schiavone taking full advantage to rattle off four unanswered games. But as the contest wore on, Ozaki found her rhythm and a foothold.

While it was too late to salvage the first set, Ozaki turned the match on its head at the start of the second, surging into a 4-0 lead as she emphatically leveled the match. The Japanese player carried this momentum into the decider, building an early advantage before withstanding the inevitable Schiavone comeback to close out a 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory.

“It’s not easy to play Schiavone. She was a great player who won a Grand Slam before,” Ozaki said. “I was nervous in first set, but refocused at the start of the second. I think I moved very well in the third set but my serve was not ideal. Anyway, I won in the end, which is the most important thing so I’m very happy.”

Meeting Ozaki in her maiden WTA semifinal will be No.6 seed Vania King, who defeated Zhang Kai-Lin, 6-0, 6-4.

In the bottom half of the draw, Duan Ying-Ying continued her terrific week by knocking out No.2 seed Kurumi Nara, 6-1, 7-5. Earlier in the day, Nara had returned to complete her rain-delayed second round with Chang Kai-Chen in two tight sets. Against Duan, these exertions, and the sweltering on court conditions, contributed to a sluggish start from which she never fully recovered.

Duan faces another Japanese player in the semifinals after Misa Eguchi brushed aside Liu Fangzhou, 6-1, 6-2.