Sramkova downs Jacquemot 7-5 6-3 in Cincinnati qualifying

Rebecca Sramkova came through a tight opening set and then pulled clear to beat Elsa Jacquemot 7-5, 6-3 in the qualifying semifinals at the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. The Slovak leaned on her delivery, striking eight aces to Jacquemot's three and conceding just one double fault, and she was unusually solid behind her second ball, winning 64.3 percent of those points. Jacquemot was dangerous when she found the box, taking 82.4 percent of her first-serve points and 84.6 percent behind the second, but she landed only 56.7 percent of first serves. The win carried Sramkova into the final qualifying round.