Nov 5, 2009, 13:56 GMT
Bali, Indonesia - Shahar Peer made a winning debut Thursday at the Commonwealth Bank Tournament of Champions and now stands ready to challenge top seed Marion Batoli for a semi-final place.
The Israeli, who won back-to-back titles in September but needed to fight for a visa to enter the Muslim nation, defeated Magdalena Rybarikova 6-1, 7-6 (7-4) to increase her own hopes while eliminating the Slovak from the race to the weekend.
'I'm glad I found a way to win match in two sets,' said Peer. 'It could have easily gone to a third. I played very smart today and did the right thing.'
Peer, ranked 31, will next play 2007 Wimbledon finalist Bartoli with the winner reaching the semis.
The field at the 600,000-dollar tournament comprises the 10 highest-ranking players who have won a WTA International title this year but who did not compete in the season-ending WTA Championships in Qatar. There are also a pair of wildcards in the field.
Asia's lone representative, 39-year-old Kimiko Date Krumm, finds herself thick in the battle for a last-four place at the year-ender after defeating Spaniard Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-4, 6-3.
The straight-set victory - Date Krumm forced the issue with 15 break points - was absolutely essential for the born-again tennis veteran to stay alive in the round-robin competition.
The Japanese star, who ended her career more than a decade ago only to re-start in 2008, broke six times on the way to victory.
Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai was first into the semi-finals, defeating Hungarian Melinda Czink 6-3, 7-5 defeat in just under 90 minutes.
Rezai goes through with a flawless 2-0 mark, with the number 44 aiming to lift the second title of her career after Strasbourg in May.
But the winner had to struggle in the second set, coming from 1-5 down against a jittery opponent. 'It was pretty tough, a very difficult set,' said Rezai.
'I knew I had nothing to lose so I might as well fight for it. She got nervous because she saw that I was present on the court. I took my chances for the win.'
Spain's Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez denied Agnes Szavay with a 4- 6, 6-4, 6-0 win to leave the Hungarian out of the running on 0-2.
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