Taiwan's Latisha Chan through to Rothesay Classic Birmingham tennis semifinals

Taipei, June 16 (CNA) Taiwanese tennis player Latisha Chan (詹詠然) and her Australian doubles partner Samantha Stosur advanced to the semifinals at the Rothesay Classic Birmingham in England on Wednesday with a win over a pair that included Chan's sister.

Chan and Stosur, both formerly ranked world No. 1, scored a 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 victory against the fourth-seeded duo Chan Hao-ching (詹皓晴) and Japanese Shuko Aoyama, in a quarterfinal match that lasted 92 minutes.

Latisha Chan and Stosur warmed up quickly to take a 3-1 lead in the opener. Even though Chan Hao-ching and Aoyama eventually caught up 4-4 by the end of the eighth inning, Latisha Chan and Stosur were able to save four of seven breakpoints to pocket the set.

Latisha Chan and Stosur also took a 3-1 lead in the second set, but Chan Hao-ching and Aoyama answered back with five consecutive points to turn the tables 6-3, forcing the rubber set.

Rallying in the third set, Latisha Chan and Stosur quickly gained a 7-2 lead, and never looked back, pulling off a comfortable win to advance to the semifinals.

Prior to the quarterfinal match, Latisha Chan and Stosur on Tuesday ousted Simona Halep of Romania and Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) in the round of 16.

The Chan sisters, Latisha, 32, and Hao-ching, 28, are two of the top women tennis players in Taiwan.

The Rothesay Classic Birmingham, a WTA 250 tournament played on grass, is being held June 13-16, carrying a total purse of US$251,750 (NT$7.487 million).