TASHKENT, Uzbekistan (AP) - Defending champion Nao Hibino reached the semifinals of the Tashkent Open on Thursday, advancing when Lesia Tsurenko retired after losing the first set 7-6 (6).
Tsurenko, who won last week's Guangzhou Open, had been on a seven match winning streak.
Hibino, the fourth-seeded player from Japan, will play ninth-seeded Denisa Allertova of the Czech Republic in the semifinals. Allertova defeated second-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 7-5, 6-4.
Kateryna Kozlova of Ukraine will face Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the other semifinal match. Kozlova beat Stefanie Voegele of Switzerland 6-3, 6-3 and Pliskova eliminated Irina Khromacheva of Russia 6-3, 6-4.