By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday June 14, 2019
World No.4 Kiki Bertens has reached the semi-finals at the Libéma Open at ‘s-Hertogenbosch for the second time in her career and the first time since 2015. The 27-year-old came through double duty on Friday, finishing off a rain-interrupted victory over Arantxa Rus before defeating Natalia Vikhlyantseva 6-3 6-3 in 70 minutes.
The Dutchwoman was a Wimbledon quarter-finalist last season and she has started strong on the grass in 2019, not dripping a set en route to her second career semi-final on the surface.
Bertens won 27 of 33 first-serve points and did not face a break point against Vikhlyantseva.
The top seed will face Kazakh qualifier Elena Rybakina on Saturday for a spot in her first career final on grass. Rybakina has yet to drop a set through qualifying and she was strong on serve on Friday as she took down Kirsten Flipkens 6-4 6-4.
The 19-year-old saved all four break points she faced. Rybakina, currently ranked 134, entered this year’s Libéma Open with four career tour-level wins to her name and she had never played a main draw match on grass before.
She defeated Varvara Lepchenko in the opening round and then knocked off Alison Van Uytvanck in the round of 16.
American Alison Riske and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova will square off in the bottom half semi-final. Riske owns 38 lifetime wins on grass and will contest her fifth WTA semi-final on the surface against Kudermetova. Kudermetova reached her first WTA semi-final on Friday after dropping her first six quarter-finals, all in the last year.