In her first WTA singles final since the Brussels tournament in 2013, which she eventually won, unseeded 35-year-old Kanepi will face No 7 seed Belgian player Elise Mertens, WTA No 20.

The 2021 Gippsland Trophy is a tournament on the 2021 WTA Tour. It is played on outdoor hard courts in Melbourne, Australia.

Anett Kontaveit makes semi-final in Melbourne as Azarenka withdraws

Estonia's highest ranked tennis player Anett Kontaveit, WTA No 23, advanced to the semi-final of the Gippsland Trophy WTA 500 tournament in Melbourne as Belarusian player Viktoria Azarenka, WTA No 13.

Azarenka withdrew from her quarter-final against Kontaveit, giving the Estonian a walkover. The WTA said the Belarusian had a lower back problem.

Estonian news sources said the injury is not likely to jeopardize Azarenka playing at the Australian Open and the withdrawal from the warm-up tournament rather was a precaution to avoid risk of serious injury ahead of the main tournament.  

Kontaveit will play Maria Sakkari on Sunday in the semi-finals after the Greek beat 2016 Australian Open champion Angelique Kerber 6-4 6-2, Reuters reported.

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