KUNMING, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Top seed Zhang Shuai beat compatriot Ma Shuyue 7-5, 6-2 to advance into the women's singles semifinals at the Kunming Open here on Friday.
Despite the loss, the 18-year-old said she learned a lot from the game.
"I could have played better," said Ma, who rated herself six points out of 10 after the match.
Ma fought hard to tie the first set at 5-5, but the more seasoned Zhang took the next two games to lead 1-0 before she carried out the momentum to claim the victory.
"I was leading by 30-0 in my serve game after 5-5 in the first set, but I didn't play well in the next points. I made too many mistakes today," Ma said.
"I did not give a stable performance, but Zhang kept a clear mind through the match," she added.
Zhang's opponent in the semifinals will be Kaylah McPhee of Australia, who fended off Chihiro Muramatsu of Japan 6-2, 6-4.
In the other match on Friday, second seed Zheng Saisai of China swept Alexandra Cadantu 6-1, 6-4 to book a semifinal berth. She will play against Liang En-Shuo of Chinese Taipei, who advanced after Zhang Kailin of China withdrew due to injury when she was trailing from 4-1 in the second set after losing the first 7-6.
The women's singles semifinals will be played on Saturday.
