EASTBOURNE, England (AP) — Beatriz Haddad Maia was given a helping hand in her bid for a third straight grass-court title ahead of Wimbledon.
The Brazilian advanced to the semifinals at Eastbourne without hitting a ball Thursday after her opponent, Lesia Tsurenko, withdrew because of a right elbow injury.
Hadded Maia will be fresh when facing Petra Kvitova in the last four on Friday as she looks to follow up title wins in Nottingham and Birmingham over the past two weeks. She hadn't won a WTA title before this short grass-court season that is going better than she could ever have imagined.
Kvitova, a two-time Wimbledon champion, ended the hopes of British wild card Harriet Dart in a 6-3, 6-4 victory on center court.
The other semifinal match will be between defending champion Jelena Ostapenko and 12th-seeded Camila Giorgi, who also had straight-set wins.