CLEVELAND — Lin Zhu of China beat top-seeded Caroline Garcia of France 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals of Tennis in the Land on Thursday.
Zhu, ranked No. 48 in the world, has not lost a set through three rounds in Cleveland. She broke No. 7 Garcia five times to advance to the semifinals. Garcia received a wild card to make her initial appearance at the WTA 250 event.
“I’m very proud of my performance today because Caroline is an amazing player,” Zhu said. “She always hits a big serve, and I have to be ready and be more patient and stay in the game against her.”
Fourth-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova will face Zhu in the semifinals of the US Open tuneup after rallying past Xinyu Wang 5-7, 6-0, 7-5.
The tournament was affected by multiple rain delays for the second straight day, forcing ninth-seeded Sloane Stephens to play two matches in an eight-hour span.
No. 38 Stephens defeated 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 6-3 in the morning but lost 6-1, 6-3 to Sara Sorribes Tormo in the quarterfinals.
Tatjana Maria beat Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-2 in the other evening match. Both semifinals will be played Friday.