NUREMBERG, Germany (AP) — Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic upset top-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 7-6 (5), 6-4 to make the Nuremberg Cup semifinals on Thursday.
Also, second-seeded Eugenie Bouchard of Canada defeated Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6).
Kerber won 16 of the first 17 points and squandered a 4-0 lead to lose the first set. Pliskova held her serve twice in the second, Kerber only once, and that decided the match.
Victory gave Pliskova, ranked 64th, her first win over a top-10 player. Kerber was ranked No. 9.
In another upset, Karin Knapp of Italy outlasted seventh-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-7 (9), 6-4, 6-4 to reach her first semifinal in 10 months.
Fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine downed Mona Barthel of France 6-4, 6-4 and will play Pliskova in the semifinals. Bouchard faces Knapp.
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