Strasbourg 2020: Friday's Order of Play and Match Points

ORDER OF PLAY

COURT PATRICE DOMINGUEZ - 10:00 AM START
[1] Nicole MELICHAR (USA) / Demi SCHUURS (NED) vs. [3] Shuko AOYAMA (JPN) / Ena SHIBAHARA (JPN)

followed by 
Katerina SINIAKOVA (CZE) vs. [4] Aryna SABALENKA (BLR) - to be finished, 6-2, 1-2

Not Before 1:30 p.m. 
Nao HIBINO (JPN) vs. [5] Elena RYBAKINA (KAZ)

After suitable rest - not before 3:30 p.m.
Katerina SINIAKOVA (CZE) or [4] Aryna SABALENKA (BLR) vs. [2] Elina SVITOLINA (UKR)

MATCH POINTS

With their quarterfinal match suspended in the second set due to rain on Thursday, Katerina Siniakova and Aryna Sabalenka will take to the court to finish on Friday, with the winner needing to pull double duty against No.2 seed Elina Svitolina later in the day.

Read more: Svitolina seals spot in Strasbourg semifinals with Teichmann victory

Leading by a set and a break on Thursday, Siniakova lost two straight games to put Sabalenka ahead in the second set before the rain came.

The Belarusian will need to come from a set down should she want to reach a second straight Strasbourg semifinal in her two career appearances at the event. Last year, she reached the final four in her tournament debut before falling to eventual champion Dayana Yastremska.

For Siniakova, a first semifinal berth in over a year awaits should she pull off victory. The Czech last reached the semifinals at last summer's NJTL Bronx Open in New York ahead of the US Open, where she fell to eventual champion Magda Linette. 

The day's first semifinal sees Japan's Nao Hibino bidding for a sixth career WTA singles final and first on clay against No.5 seed Elena Rybakina in the pair's second-ever meeting. 

Both have come on French clay, as the two played last year at Roland Garros where Rybakina took a 7-5, 7-5 victory.

Read more: Rybakina races into Strasbourg semis with Zhang win

A winner in Hiroshima last September, Hibino broke a four-match losing streak in WTA showpiece matches with that victory, and bids for a second win against a seeded player this week when she takes on No.5 seed Rybakina. 

The Kazakh is bidding for her fifth final berth of 2020 and first of the tour's restart, having found her form on clay after earlier-than-expected exits at the Western & Southern Open and US Open. 

Read more: Hibino edges Ostapenko to make Strasbourg semis

In the doubles semifinals, top seeds Nicole Melichar and Demi Schuurs eye a first final together, taking on the Japanese team of Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama. The Japanese team, seeded No.3, are bidding for a fifth final together, with the first four coming on hard courts.