Red-hot Kontaveit powers into semis in Rome

After making a name for herself on the red clay last season, Anett Kontaveit is once again playing confident tennis on the dirt. She has stormed past top players left and right, putting together another impressive run.

Ranked No. 110 at the beginning of last season, the Estonian had to qualify several times throughout the 2017 season. She made runs to the Stuttgart and Rome quarterfinals, shocking Garbine Muguruza and Angelique Kerber along the way.

In June, Kontaveit won her first WTA title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, a grass-court tournament.

After a run to the fourth round of the 2018 Australian Open, the 22-year-old lost five of her next six matches. In April, she turned her season around in Stuttgart after a dramatic first-round victory over Kristina Mladenovic on her way to the semifinals, where lost to eventual champion Karolina Pliskova.

Last week in Madrid, Kontaveit defeated Venus Williams before falling to eventual champion Petra Kvitova in the fourth round. This week in Rome, she’s powered her way to the semis with straight-set wins over Coco Vandeweghe, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Williams, and Caroline Wozniacki.

Next up for the Estonian is defending champion Elina Svitolina, who she'll battle for the spot in the finals.

-Tennis Channel Plus features five courts of live action from the Internazionali BNL d'Italia beginning Sunday, May 13 at 5:00 am ET!