BANGALORE, India, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Mara Santangelo and Jelena Kostanic Friday advanced to the semifinals of the inaugural Bangalore Open at Bangalore, India.
Santangelo beat Yuliana Fedak, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, and Kostanic advanced when Maria Elena Camerin withdrew from their scheduled quarterfinal because of an undisclosed illness.
"Though I lost the first set, I was still there," said Santangelo. "That's important. I tried to be more aggressive and hit the ball harder without losing concentration. It was very difficult for me; so, I am very happy about the match."
In other quarterfinal matches, Vania King beat Camille Pin 6-2, 7-6 (9-7) and Melinda Czink topped Alona Bondarenko 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6).
In Saturday's semifinals, Santangelo plays King and Kostanic faces Czink. The tournament's final four is aiming at a first prize of $28,000.
