Early exits for all eight seeds had left World No.54 Kanepi as the highest-ranked player in the draw, but she was no match for an on-song Barthel, who weathered a late storm to triumph, 6-2, 7-6(4).
After an early exchange of breaks, Barthel reeled off four straight games to run away with the opening set. The second set was a far closer affair, going with serve until the ninth game when Kanepi found the line with a forehand return to break. Eager not to be outdone in the shotmaking department, Barthel hit straight back with a precise backhand pass. In the subsequent tie-break, it was the backhand that once again proved the difference, a crosscourt pass taking the German to two match points.
She only needed the one, another crisp backhand booking a last four meeting with Sílvia Soler-Espinosa. "That was a really tough match, especially in the second set," Barthel said. "It was really close and she served for the set. "I'm pretty happy I stayed tough in these moments, believed in myself and just kept going for my shots. I played a really good tie-break in the end and I think this made the difference." Soler-Espinosa was equally impressive against Alexandra Panova, needing little over an hour to complete a 6-3, 6-2 win.
"Of course it was a tough match, because everyone who is in the quarterfinals is playing well," Soler-Espinosa said. "I knew she was going to be quite solid from the baseline, so I just tried to play my game, be aggressive and use my forehand to move her when I had the opportunities. I'm so happy to be in the semifinals here in Bastad!" In the other semifinal, Chanelle Scheepers will take on Jana Cepelova.
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