CENTER
Play starts at 11am
Katarina ZAVATSKA (UKR) v Sorana CIRSTEA (ROU) [8]
Kristyna PLISKOVA (CZE) [5] v Alison VAN UYTVANCK (BEL) [3]
Harriet DART (GBR) / Danka KOVINIC (MNE) v Hayley CARTER (USA) / Luisa STEFANI (BRA)
Dalila JAKUPOVIC (SLO) / Sabrina SANTAMARIA (USA) [3] v Sharon FICHMAN (CAN) / Tatjana MARIA (GER)
MATCH POINTS
The two semifinal match-ups are encounters that have not previously occurred on the WTA Tour.
Kristyna Pliskova has faced Alison Van Uytvanck in ITF action before, winning 6-4, 7-6(2) in Vendryne in 2011.
Pliskova is a previous winner of the event, having lifted the crown in 2016 when she beat Nao Hibino, 6-3, 2-6, 6-3, in the final.
She has a 0-1 record in semis this year, having lost 6-0, 6-1 to Iga Swiatek in Lugano.
Van Uytvanck is seeking to become the first Belgian finalist in Tashkent since Laurence Courtois in the competition’s inaugural year, 1999.
The last time the Budapest champion played in the final four of a tournament on the WTA Tour, she lost to Maria Sakkari in Rabat.
Sorana Cirstea claimed the title in 2008, with Sabine Lisicki her final victim in a thrilling three-set match.
The No.8 seed last played a WTA Tour semifinal in Nuremberg in May. She lost on the clay to Yulia Putintseva.
Katarina Zavatska is aiming to emulate Kateryna Kozlova and Anastasia Potapova, who both reached the final unseeded. Potapova, last year’s champion, was a qualifier.
Her only previous experience of facing a Romanian in a main draw Tour match was Alexandra Dulgheru in Rabat in 2018. She won in three sets.
She has won all three semifinals she has played at ITF level in 2019. Indeed, she has won her last six semis at that standard, but this is her first time in the final four of a WTA event.
