NEW YORK (Reuters) – American upstart Jennifer Brady continued her surprising surge at the U.S. Open with a 6-3 6-2 victory over Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva on Tuesday to reach her first Grand Slam semi-final.
The 28th-seeded Brady, who has yet to drop a set at this year’s U.S. Open, used her massive forehand and impressive court coverage to deny Putintseva in her bid to become the first Kazakh woman to reach the final four of any major.
Brady, whose lead-up to the U.S. Open included a maiden WTA title at Lexington, had all facets of her game clicking early as she broke twice to race to a 4-0 lead before wrapping up the first set in 34 minutes.
Putintseva, seeded 23rd, had no answer in the second set as Brady broke three times for a 5-2 lead before sealing the match on her serve.
Up next for Brady will be the winner of another Tuesday clash between former champion Naomi Osaka, the fourth seed, and unseeded American Shelby Rogers.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
