Czech seventh seed Petra Kvitova reached the French Open semi-finals for the first time since 2012 after an emotional win over Germany's Laura Siegemund on Thursday (NZ time).
Kvitova maintained her record of not dropping a set at Roland Garros this year with a 6-3 6-3 win, as she will face fourth seed Sofia Kenin for a spot in the final.
Roland Garros was where Kvitova made an emotional return to professional tennis three years back after being sidelined for six months following a burglar attack at her home that left her with severe damage to the nerves and tendons in her left hand.
"It means a lot to me, definitely," Kvitova said in her interview on Court Philippe Chatrier. "I didn't dream to be in a semi-final after everything that happened.
"Right now it's my lucky place, I'm really happy to be here, to play. I really missed it when I was off. I'm happy I'm still able to play and compete with the best."
Australian Open champion Kenin is through to the semi-finals of the French Open for the first time, as she claims a 6-4 4-6 6-0 victory against fellow American Danielle Collins
Collins was bothered by abdominal pains in the third set, looking unable to give her maximum effort in the finale on court Philippe Chatrier.
"This is really special, I'm super happy," says Kenin. "I know she plays really aggressive so I needed to have a better first serve percentage and play aggressive myself.
"I guess I like winning in three sets. I know it's tough but I'm getting the job done."
Reuters
