GUANGZHOU, China – 18-year-old Ana Konjuh romped past Jennifer Brady in straight sets to book a semifinal clash with defending champion Jelena Jankovic at the Guangzhou International Women’s Open.

The Croat opened her quarterfinal match with an emphatic break to love, and served powerfully to hit five aces and win 90 percent of points behind her first serve.

She didn’t face a break point until the final game of the first set, when Brady mounted a late resistance and brought up five chances. But the teen batted away her chances and served out the set. She earned a second break late in the final set to advance to her WTA-level semifinal of the year, 6-4, 7-5.

With the victory, the youngest player left in the tournament will take on the oldest player in the draw, as Konjuh books a semifinal clash with defending champion and WTA veteran Jankovic.

“I know her pretty well and I know she’s a young player who is playing very well in this moment,” Jankovic said. “We player earlier in the year on grass, in Mallorca, and I was able to win that match. But every match is a new match and I just hope I can come out tomorrow and play some good tennis and hopefully I can make it to another final. This is my goal.”

The No.2 seeded Serb faced a tight first set against Sabine Lisicki in her quarterfinal – the German was two points away from taking the first set while Jankovic was serving at 5-4. But Jankovic rallied to take the set in a tiebreak.She took the decisive break late in the second set to advance 7-6(4), 6-4.

“I think it as a good match overall – we were both fighting for every point,” Jankovic said. “That first set was very close, just a few points’ difference. I was able to stay strong and fight hard, and I think that fighting spirit was the difference.”

“I pushed myself a little bit more when the times got really tough out there. I’m very happy I was able to win against Lisicki, because she was playing a very high level tennis.”

Also through to the semifinals are Lesia Tsurenko and Anett Kontaveit. Tsurenko came back from a set done to out the No.5 seed Alison Riske 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, while Kontaveit downed Viktorija Golubic 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.