Garcia advances to Guadalajara semis after Bouzkova withdraws

Caroline Garcia, the fourth seed from France, progressed to the semi-finals of the WTA hard court tournament in Guadalajara after her opponent, sixth-seeded Marie Bouzkova, withdrew due to health issues. This withdrawal came just before their scheduled quarter-final match on Friday. Garcia, who is 30 years old, had recently ended a three-match losing streak, which included an early exit at the US Open, by defeating Japanese qualifier Ena Shibahara in a challenging match that went to two tiebreak sets. In the other quarter-final matches, fifth-seeded Magdalena Frech from Poland secured her spot in the semi-finals by overcoming Canadian teenager Marina Stakusic with a score of 6-4, 6-3. Frech's victory took an hour and 44 minutes, and she had previously faced a tough challenge in the second round, where Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko after saving four match points. Australian qualifier Olivia Gadecki was the first player to reach the semi-finals, defeating Italian Martina Trevisan with a score of 6-2, 3-6, 6-1. This victory marked Gadecki's first appearance in a WTA semi-final, following her impressive run that included wins over former US Open champion Sloane Stephens and second-seeded Danielle Collins. Gadecki will now face Colombian Camila Osorio, who advanced by defeating Russian Kamilla Rakhimova in straight sets, 7-6 (8/6), 6-2. The upcoming matches promise to be competitive as players vie for a place in the final of this prestigious tournament.