By ,
Published May 02, 2016
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) - Top-seeded Italian star Sara Errani was among Friday's quarterfinal victors at the Rio Open tennis event.
The former French Open runner-up snuck past game Brazilian wild card Beatriz Haddad Maia 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 3-0, as Haddad Maia retired on the red clay at Jockey Club Brasileiro.
Errani's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be fifth-seeded Swede Johanna Larsson, who cruised past German Dinah Pfizenmaier 6-4, 6-0 on Day 5.
The other semi will pit second-seeded Romanian Irina-Camelia Begu against sixth-seeded Slovak Anna Schmiedlova. Begu blitzed Israeli Julia Glushko 6-1, 6-2, while Schmiedlova vanquished Paraguayan qualifier Veronica Cepede Royg 6-3, 6-1.
This week's champion will claim $43,000.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/errani-sneaks-into-rio-semis