Keys and Ostapenko race into Eastbourne semifinals

Former champions Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko stormed into the semifinals of the Eastbourne WTA tournament on Thursday with commanding straight-sets victories in the Wimbledon warm-up event.

Keys, the 2014 and 2023 Eastbourne title-winner, has still to drop a set at this year's edition following a 6-3, 6-1 quarterfinal win over McCartney Kessler in an all-American clash on England's south coast.

Meanwhile, 2021 Eastbourne champion Ostapenko cruised into the last four with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Zeynep Sonmez, despite suffering from heat stroke the previous night.

Keys and Ostapenko are the last two seeds left in the women's draw.

They each have one Grand Slam singles title to their credit, with Latvia's Ostapenko, 29, the 2017 French Open champion and Keys, 31, triumphing at last year's Australian Open.

Keys will face Petra Martinko in her semifinal after the Croatian defeated Caty McNally 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in a gruelling two hours and 18 minutes.

"I'm very happy with today's performance," said Keys after reaching her fourth semifinal on Eastbourne's grass courts.

Former Wimbledon semifinalist Ostapenko, who will now face Tatjana Maria after she won 6-3, 7-5 against Tereza Valentova, was just pleased to back in action on Thursday.

"I didn't think I was going to play today," she said. "After the match yesterday at 10:00 pm (2100 GMT) I had heat stroke so I felt really bad."