FES, Morocco, April 29 (UPI) -- Iveta Benesova notched a three-set victory Thursday and is the sole seeded player in the semifinals of the $220,000 Moroccan Grand Prix tennis tournament.
Benesova, the tournament's No. 7 seed, piled up six service breaks after the first set in getting past qualifier Laura Pous Tio 2-6, 6-1, 6-0. She won nearly two-thirds of the total points in the second and third sets.
Her win combined with losses Thursday by second-seeded Patty Schnyder and fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber to leave Benesova the only seeded player remaining in the clay-court tournament.
Schnyder dropped a 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) decision to 18-year-old Simona Halep, who will be making her first WTA semifinals appearance, and Kerber was beaten 7-5, 6-2 by Renata Voracova. Halep and Voracova will meet in Friday's semifinals.
Benesova's semifinal opponent will be Alize Cornet, who defeated Anne Keothavong 7-5, 6-2 Thursday. Cornet advanced on the strength of six service breaks.
The Moroccan Grand Prix, the WTA's lone event in Africa, wraps up Saturday with the champion taking home $37,000.
