Kvitova into New Haven semis

New Haven - Reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova has advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA New Haven hardcourt tournament Thursday with a 6-4, 6-1 triumph over Czech compatriot Barbora Zahlavova Strycova.

Fourth-ranked Kvitova next will face the winner of a later quarter-final between Australia's Samantha Stosur and Belgium's Kirsten Flipkens in the final warm-up event for the US Open, which begins Monday.

Second seed Kvitova will be the third seed at the year's final Grand Slam event and will open her Flushing Meadows fortnight next week against France's 73rd-ranked Kristina Mladenovic.

Kvitova, a 24-year-old left-hander, won their first meeting in 2008 at Paris but lost to Mladenovic, 21, last year in Paris.

Thursday's other New Haven quarter-finals send Slovakia's Magdalena Rybarikova against American Alison Riske and Italy's Camila Giorgi against Spain's Garbine Muguruza.

Giorgi ousted four-time New Haven champion Caroline Wozniacki, the Danish fourth seed and former world number one, in the second round.