Laura Robson is through to the semi-finals of the Guangzhou International Open after a 7-5 5-7 6-2 win against seventh seed Peng Shuai.
British youngster to battle Cirstea in semis
Laura Robson is through to the semi-finals of the Guangzhou International Open after a 7-5 5-7 6-2 win against seventh seed Peng Shuai.
The British youngster got off to a great start against her Chinese opponent, breaking twice as she raced into a 5-1 lead.
But Peng won a lengthy seventh game, saving four set points, and added the next three games as well to level at 5-5, only for Robson to break again and then serve out the set.
The second set was equally hard fought, both players dropping serve twice early on, before Peng got the decisive break in the 12th game.
But Robson was well on top in the decider, reeling off four games in a row from 1-1 and then serving out the match two games later to prevail after just over three hours.
Tough
"It's going to be a really tough match because she's a very aggressive player and hits a lot of winners, so I'm going to have to be ready to run a lot, that's for sure," commented Robson.
"I am pretty tired right now but I've had a massage and an ice bath so I'll be fine for tomorrow. It wasn't that hot, it's just incredibly humid here."
Robson is the first British woman to reach a main tour singles semi-final since Anne Keothavong at the Luxembourg Open in October 2011 and she will take on the third seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania in the last four.
She became British number one this week, her career-high position of 74 in the world rankings putting her one place ahead of Heather Watson.
The 18-year-old is not feeling weighed down by the raised expectation, though, telling
The Tennis Space: "I think after New York I'm feeling pretty confident on court and I'm not really having any trouble serving out matches at the moment, which is always good.
"But I've still got a lot that I can improve on, so I'm trying not to focus on anyone else's expectations, just focusing on improving and listening to my coach."
