BEIJING: Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva pushed through two tie-breaks to beat her compatriot Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(7/4), 7-6(7/3) at the China Open on Thursday, powering into a semi-final clash with Nikola Bartunkova.

Andreeva, the 19-year-old fourth seed, is the favourite for the tournament in Beijing now that a series of upsets have knocked out her more esteemed rivals.

The French Open champion dropped just three points to grab a two-game lead but still needed a tie-break to edge 28th-ranked Alexandrova inthe first set.

Both players struggled to extend rallies in a sparsely populated stadium as they tumbled into another tiebreak.

Andreeva found the breakthrough with a masterful forehand to go 3-2 ahead, then held her nerve, dropping just one more point before crossing the finish line.

`I am very happy that we finished this match, because I knew if it went to the third set it was going to be really tough for both of us, Andreeva said. `She played unbelievably,` the teenager said of her 31-year-old oppo-nent. `What a match.

Earlier, world number 34 Bartunkova stunned her Czech compatriot Karolina Muchova 6-3, 6-0 as she sealed the win in just 66 minutes.

The 20-year-old won five consecutive games in 19 minutes in the first set as her seventh-seeded opponent struggled to respond.

Muchova saved five set points, but it was not enough to hold back Bartunkova, who had already ousted secondseeded Aryna Sabalenka from the tournament in Beijing.

She raced into another fivegame lead in the second setand gave Muchova no chance of a reprieve, forcing her into firing long to seal a win she described as a `dream come true`.

`Honestly, I don`t know. It was an unbelievable match, Bartunkova said on court.

`She`s a great player and also a great human being.

`It was a really tough match today, but I was just trying to put my best tennis, and I did it.

On Friday, China`s Zheng Qinwen plays Ukraine`s Elina Svitolina, and Poland`s Iga Swiatek faces Belgium`s Elise Mertens, each gunning for a semi-final spot.-AFP