Top seeds hold form heading to Charleston semifinals

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — No. 2 seed Ons Jabeur led the top seeds into the semifinals at the Charleston Open on Friday. No. 3 seed Daria Kasatkina and No. 4 seed Belinda Bencic also advanced to the last four with quarterfinal victories in the season’s first clay-court tournament. Top seed Jessica Pegula faces No. 12 seed Paula Badosa for the final spot later Friday. Bencic won her ninth straight Charleston match with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over seventh-seeded Ekatarina Alexandrova. Jabeur advanced when Anna Kalinskaya retired due to illness in the second set. Kasatkina rallied from a set down to beat Madison Keys.