By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Friday October 14, 2022

 

Italy's Jasmine Paolini moved into her first hard court semifinal of 2022 with a win over Jule Niemeier in Cluj-napoca.

Photo source: Transylvania Open

Jasmine Paolini of Italy joined a youthful quartet of quarterfinalists as its senior member on Friday in Cluj-Napoca.



The 26-year-old World No.78 battled past 74th-ranked Jule Niemeier, 7-5 7-5, to reach her third semifinal of the season – and first on hard courts.

Paolini, who improves to 20-19 on the season, will face China’s Wang Xiyu for a spot in the final on Saturday. Wang, 21 and seeded seventh, eased past Spain’s Nuria Parrizas Diaz 6-1, 7-6(5).

21-year-old Anastasia Potapova continued her fine form on Friday, toppling Anna Bondar 7-5, 3-6, 6-1, to set an all-Russian semifinal with 24-year-old Anna Blinkova.

Blinkova, ranked 138, reached her first WTA semifinal since 2019 with a 6-7(7), 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina.