By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Thursday, June 27, 2024

The day at Devonshire Park began with home celebration.

Three British women—Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart and Emma Raducanu—made the elite eight in Eastbourne for the first time since 1974.

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Jasmine Paolini and Daria Kasatkina crashed the British party setting up a semifinal showdown.

French Open finalist Paolini beat Boulter 6-1, 7-6(0) on the strength of some crackling returns.



Paolini won 19 of 27 points played on Boulter's second serve and exploited 10 double faults—two and a half games worth of doubles—from Nottingham champion Boulter.

It is Paolini's first completed main-draw grass-court win as she improves to 24-11 on the season with her 10th career quarterfinal win.

The third-seeded Italian will take on Kasatkina for a spot in the final.

Kasatkina carved out a 6-2, 6-2 sweep of Raducanu the day after the 2021 US Open champion saved a match point to score her first career Top 10 win over Jessica Pegula.

Today, Kasatkina converted six of 13 break points chances in a one hour, 21 minute victory.

The sixth-seeded Kasatkina is through to her fourth semifinal of the season, including semifinals on three difference surfaces.



It's the second straight Eastbourne semifinal for world No. 14 Kasatkina, who lost to eventual-champion Madison Keys in the 2023 semifinals.

Keys advanced to her second straight Eastbourne semifinal without striking a shot as her scheduled quarterfinal opponent, Karolina Muchova, withdrew due to pain she felt in her surgically-repaired list.

The walkover win means Keys will play for a third trip to the Eastbourne final against 2021 US Open finalist Leylah Fernandez.

Earlier, Fernandez charged through nine of the first 11 games dismissing Dart 6-2, 6-1.

The left-handed Fernandez is the first Canadian woman to reach the Eastbourne semifinals since Aleksandra Wozniak in 2009.