"I don't think I played bad in the second set" - Bianca Andreescu on reaching her first WTA semifinal in almost a year at Hua Hin

Top seed Bianca Andreescu powered into her first semifinal since last June with a 6-0, 7-6(3) victory over No.5 seed Marta Kostyuk at the Thailand Open Hua Hin.

The quarterfinal clash was a matchup of the 2017 Australian Open junior champions. That year had seen Kostyuk take the girls' singles crown; Andreescu had fallen in the singles semifinals, but captured the doubles title alongside Carson Branstine.

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Despite being junior peers, this was the first time the pair had played at any level. Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, dominated for a set and a half, taking on the ball at every opportunity and racing to a 6-0, 5-1 lead.

But Kostyuk fought back to win the next five games in a row, saving triple match point serving at 3-5, and Andreescu ultimately needed a tiebreak to get over the line.

"I think I played really well, especially in the first set," said Andreescu. "I don't think I played bad in the second set -- she just raised her level."

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Andreescu will next face former World No.23 Lesia Tsurenko, who made the last four after a patient 6-1, 6-1 defeat of No.6 seed Tatjana Maria. The result put the Ukrainian into her first tour-level semifinal since reaching the 2018 Brisbane final.