Goerges advances in Madrid Tennis

MADRID: Julia Goerges booked the first of the semi-final spots at the ATP-WTA Madrid Masters on Friday, defeating Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-2.

The number 27 winner, who is set for a move into the ranking Top 25 on Monday, took just under 90 minutes to clock her ninth straight victory, a run which began when she claimed the Stuttgart title a fortnight ago.

Goerges, 22, was the first German to lift home honours in Stuttgart since Anke Huber in 1994. Along the way, she accounted for world number one Caroline Wozniacki, her third-round victim this week in Madrid as well.

Goerges saved six break points against Pavlyuchenkova and broke the Russian three times, going through on the first of three match points.

She next faces the winner form fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus or Czech Lucie Safarova.

Goerges, an Auckland semi-finalist in January, improved to 22-9 this season and leads the WTA with 16 victories on clay in 2011.