Puig stuns Garcia to reach Connecticut Open semi-finals
She will now face Carla Suarez Navarro in her first semi-final of the season.
Qualifier Monica Puig has beaten number two seed Caroline Garcia to reach the semi-final of the Connecticut Open.
The Puerto Rican extended her winning streak to six matches with the 7-5 1-6 6-2 victory while also advancing to her first semi-final of the season.
Puig started on the back foot and had to battle from 5-2 down, before going on to win four games in a row and the first set.
The 24-year-old could not keep up the momentum in the second set, however, as her opponent raced to a 5-0 lead and served out to love to level the match.
Puig returned to form in the decider, breaking Garcia twice on the way to a 5-0 lead, and despite a drop of composure when serving for the match at 5-2, she made not sure to waste her next opportunity, winning on her second match point after two hours and 11 minutes on court.
Waiting in the semi-final is Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro, who progressed after number three seed Petra Kvitova retired injured at 6-3 down.
Number five seed Julia Goerges reached the last four – and her fifth semi-final of the year – after defeating Ekaterina Makarova 6-4 6-2, striking 29 winners in the one-hour, 19-minute match.
She will now take on Aryna Sabalenka, who claimed a 6-3 6-2 victory over Belinda Bencic to book her semi-final place in New Haven.
