Eastbourne (England): Caroline Wozniacki reached the Eastbourne semifinals for the third consecutive year by beating Andrea Petkovic in straight sets, while Agnieszka Radwanska also won easily on Thursday. The second-seeded Wozniacki won 7-5, 6-1 on a hot day on the south coast, and will next play Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic, who ended Johanna Konta’s superb run in her home tournament with a 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 victory.
Wozniacki lost in the Eastbourne semifinals in 2013 and ’14 and lost to Bencic in their last meeting, in the last 32 at Indian Wells in March. The Dane hasn’t advanced beyond the fourth round in eight attempts at Wimbledon, but is playing herself into some form on the grass of Eastbourne.
“I have played well the whole week,” the former top-ranked Wozniacki said. “I returned really well today that was a big part of my win.” Konta, a wild card, has been gaining plenty of pre-Wimbledon attention in Britain this week after collecting two wins over players in the top 20, and clinched the first set against Bencic with an ace. But Bencic hit back hard. Radwanska beat Tsvetana Pironkova 6-2, 6-2 to reach the semifinals. The ninth seed set up a match against Sloane Stephens, the American who had a walkover after Russian opponent Daria Gavrilova pulled out with a stomach injury.
