No.6 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia reached the semi-finals of the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open for a second straight year after upsetting No.2 seed Ons Jabeur 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 30 minutes in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Her victory against Jabeur levelled her record against the Tunisian at two wins apiece.

It was also Haddad Maia’s first Top 10 win since beating Jabeur in last year’s French Open quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

The top-half semi-final will see No.1 seed Elena Rybakina take on No.8 seed Liudmila Samsonova after both advanced in straight sets. Rybakina defeated Cristina Bucsa 6-1, 6-4.

Rybakina sailed through the first set for the loss of just eight points. Bucsa’s ability to redirect pace earned her an early lead in the second set, but Rybakina recovered
to win five of the last six games.

Rybakina will face a stern test against Samsonova, who defeated No.4 seed Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 6-4.

Written with Reuters inputs