Friday 18 July 2014 17:46, UK
Mona Barthel reached the semi-finals of the Collector Swedish Open in Bastad on Friday thanks to a 6-2 7-6 (7-4) victory over Kaia Kanepi.
The Estonian world No 54 had been the highest-ranked player left in the tournament after all the seeds were eliminated, although Barthel is only seven places lower.
In the last-four, the German will play Spain's Silvia Soler-Espinosa, a 6-3 6-2 winner over Alexandra Panova, while Jana Cepelova will meet Chanelle Scheepers in the other semi-final.
It has been a welcome return to form for Cepelova, who beat Serena Williams on her way to the final in Charleston in April but had lost seven matches in a row prior to Bastad.
She continued her run with a 6-4 7-5 win over Yulia Putintseva while South African Scheepers defeated Lara Arruabarrena 6-2 4-6 6-3.
Meanwhile, British duo Jocelyn Rae and Anna Smith reached the first WTA Tour final of their careers at the tournament.
The doubles pair have enjoyed a fine season, winning five titles on the second-tier ITF circuit, and have taken that form onto the main tier.
Having beaten top seeds Julia Goerges and Katarzyna Piter in the quarter-finals, Rae and Smith defeated Akgul Amanmuradova and Stephanie Vogt 6-3 6-3 in the last-four on Friday.
