Elina Svitolina digs deep to reach the WTA tournament semifinals in Auckland

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AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Top-seeded Eina Svitolina produced another gritty performance Friday to beat Sonay Kartal in three sets and to reach the semifinals of the WTA Tour stop in Auckland.

Svitolina, ranked 13, trailed 5-3 in the third set before rallying to beat Kartal 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5).

Kartal had the upper hand for most of the match but Svitolina produced another superb defensive performance to stay in the match and clinch victory on her second match point.

“There's still a lot of adrenaline after that last set and the tiebreaker which is always very difficult and challenging,” said Svitolina, who was runner-up in Auckland in 2024. “All the credit to Sonay, she played incredible and I think she deserved even more than me to win today.”

Svitolina broke Kartal in the opening game of the first set but lost her serve in the fourth game and rallied from 4-2 down to take the set.

Kartal opened a 5-2 lead in the second set but Svitolina again fought back to take the set to a tiebreaker. The British player had an early break in the final set but Svitolina broke back in the 10th game, forcing a tiebreak in which she held her first match point at 6-4.

“She was serving really well as well so I had to stay tough and keep fighting and fighting again,” Svitolina said. “I think this brought me the win today.”

Svitolina will face American Iva Jovic in the semifinals on Saturday.

The tournament in Auckland is an important tuneup event for the Australian Open, the season-opening major that starts in Melbourne on Jan. 18.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis