Semifinals set at Winnipeg Challenger

Carol Zhao (CAN) battles Risa Ozaki (JPN) at the
2013 CIBC Wood Gundy Challenger.

Article courtesy of Tennis Canada

The courts at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club are dry once again after rain washed out Thursday’s order of play, as Friday’s clear blue skies allowed both the second round and quarter-finals to wrap up, seeing four players move on the semifinals at the CIBC Wood Gundy Challenger, a $25K ITF Pro Circuit event in Winnipeg.

The last Canadian standing in the tournament, wild card entry Carol Zhao, came back from a set down and held a 4-2 lead in the third set against No. 4 seed Risa Ozaki of Japan, but was not able to hold on as she was eliminated 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the second round. Ozaki then moved on to the quarter-finals, where she faced compatriot Akiko Omae and came out on top 5-7, 6-0, 6-4.

Picking up where they left off Thursday at 7-5, 1-2, No. 3 seed Samantha Murray of Great Britain finished off her second-round match against Japan’s Riko Awaynagi 7-5, 6-3. Murray then faced No. 8 Naomi Broady in the quarter-finals, and after dropping the first set to her compatriot, was able to come back and pull out her second win of the day 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

No. 2 seed Olivia Rogowska of Australia also played two matches, first defeating Austria’s Nicole Rottman 6-0, 6-1, before being ousted by Japanese Nao Hibino in the quarter-finals 2-6, 6-0, 6-4.

Finally, the tournament’s top seed, Johanna Konta, defeated Slovakian Lenka Wienerova in two quick sets, 6-0, 6-1. She moved on to face Miharu Imanishi of Japan in the quarter-finals, where she triumphed 6-0, 7-6(3).

The semifinals will pit Murray against Hibino, and Konta versus Ozaki.

In doubles, the field has been narrowed to two teams. Canadian Heidi El Tabakh and her partner Allie Kiick of the United States upset the No. 1 duo Broady and Rogowska 6-2, 7-5 on Friday to reach the final. They will face Brits Murray and Jade Windley in Saturday’s championship match.

Admission to the tournament is free. Tennis fans located across the country can follow the live scoring at www.tenniscanada.com. For more information on the CIBC Wood Gundy Challenger, visit www.winnipegchallenger.com.