LONDON, June 27 — Angelique Kerber’s Wimbledon preparation gained momentum as she thumped Simona Halep 6-4 6-3 in a battle of former world number ones to reach the semi-finals at Eastbourne today.

The Wimbledon champion converted five out of seven break points to secure the win and set up a last-four clash with Ons Jabeur.

Unseeded Tunisian Jabeur was made to work hard for a victory over Alize Cornet as she shook off an ankle injury in the final set to prevail 1-6 7-5 6-3.

“At this tournament, I’m the queen of losing the first set and then coming back,” Jabeur, who has rallied back from a set down to win three of her four matches in Eastbourne, said.

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“It’s another motivation for me to win, to play better in the second set, but I’m really happy with this win.

“It wasn’t easy at the end, I was scared for my ankle, but hopefully everything will be good. I tried to move better, be better on court, and that helped me regain my shots.”

World number 10 Aryna Sabalenka faces Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands in another quarter-final today while former world number one Karolina Pliskova meets Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova. — Reuters

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