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Monica Puig makes Pattaya semis as Russians falter

Puerto Rico`s Monica Puig confidently dispatched Japan`s Misaki Doi in the WTA Pattaya Open with a straight sets 6-4, 6-2 victory Friday, booking herself a place in the semi-finals.

Monica Puig makes Pattaya semis as Russians falter

Bangkok: Puerto Rico`s Monica Puig confidently dispatched Japan`s Misaki Doi in the WTA Pattaya Open with a straight sets 6-4, 6-2 victory Friday, booking herself a place in the semi-finals.

The seventh seeded right-hander will face off against Croatia`s Ajla Tomljanovic on Saturday while Slovakia`s Daniela Hantuchova will meet New Zealand`s Marina Erakovic.

Earlier in the week Doi had caused a surprise upset at the Thai seaside resort by knocking out top-seeded Peng Shuai of China in a three-sets thriller that went to the unfancied left-hander.

But she proved little competition to 21-year-old Puig, currently ranked 60th in the world and the current top-seed left in the competition.

Hantuchova faced even less opposition against China`s Duan Ying-Ying, taking the first set 6-3 and then demolishing her opponent 6-0 to take the match.

Two Russians saw their hopes dashed in the quarter finals.

Wildcard and two-time champion Vera Zvonareva was knocked out following a bitterly fought three set match against Kiwi Erakovic.

After comfortably taking the first set 6-2, she lost the second and third sets 6-7, 5-7 in a match that lasted two and half hours.

The 30-year-old Russian was on something of a comeback trail, after injury and poor form saw her drop from a top-ten career high in 2010 to a current WTA ranking of 189th in the world.

Fellow Russian Evgeniya Rodina, who had sent off Japan`s Kurumi Nara in a surprise upset the day before, lost to Tomljanovic 7-6, 6-2.