SEOUL, South Korea(AP) Defending champion Maria Kirilenko of Russia defeated Vera Dushevina of Russia 7-5, 7-6 (5) Friday and advanced to the Korea Open semifinals.
Kirilenko will play Kimiko Date Krumm of Japan, who beat top-seeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-4.
``(My) performance seems to be getting better following the U.S. Open earlier this month and the power of concentration was kept well at the end of the competition,'' Kirilenko said.
Anna-Lena Groenefeld of Germany also advanced to semifinals, beating Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan 6-0, 2-6, 7-5. She will play Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain, who defeated Magdalena Rybarikova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-3.