China Open: Rafael Nadal to play Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals in Beijing
Rafael Nadal moved into the semi-finals of the China Open with a 6-4 7-6 (7-0) victory over American John Isner.
The world number one will play third seed Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria after his 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-2 win against Spain’s Roberto Bautista-Agut.
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios will face Russia’s Andrey Rublev or Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the other match.
In the women’s event, world number two Simona Halep will meet Jelena Ostapenko in a repeat of the French Open final.
Halep moved into the final four with a 6-2 6-1 victory over Russia’s unseeded Daria Kasatkina, while Ostapenko, who beat Halep in three sets at Roland Garros in June, defeated Romania’s Sorana Cirstea 6-4 6-4.
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Petra Kvitova beat fellow Czech Republic player Barbora Strycova 6-3 6-4 and will meet the winner of the quarter-final between Ukraine’s third seed Elina Svitolina and France’s unseeded Caroline Garcia.
Garcia is battling with Great Britain’s Johanna Konta to secure the last qualification place in the eight-player season finale at the WTA Finals in Singapore at the end of October.
Should Garcia win the Beijing title, Konta would need to reach the final of the Kremlin Cup, which begins on 16 October, to qualify for Singapore.
The Briton lost in the first round in Beijing and has withdrawn from next week’s Hong Kong Open with an injury.
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Nadal, 31, overcame an eye problem to defeat Isner in Beijing as the Spaniard aims to win the men’s competition for a sixth time.
“Just something came to my eye, that’s all,” said Nadal. “I think it was just a hair or something, a hair from the tennis ball. It was bothering me for a while.
“It was not important, but I am still feeling it a little bit.”
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