Barbora Strycova pulled off one of the biggest upsets of this year’s Nature Valley Classic by defeating top seed Garbiñe Muguruza.
The two-time Birmingham finalist sailed to a 6-2, 6-4 victory to set up an encounter with Heather Watson’s conqueror Lesia Tsurenko in Friday’s quarter-finals. Tsurenko booked her spot in the final-eight after she fought past sixth seed Daria Kasatkina 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Defending champion Petra Kvitova is bidding to be the first woman since Maria Sharapova to defend the Nature Valley Classic singles title and, judging by how mercilessly she dismissed Daria Gavrilova 6-2, 6-2, she remains a huge threat to the rest of the field.
Kvitova has a potentially tricky quarter-final in prospect against Julia Goerges, who ended Ashleigh Barty’s winning run on grass with a 7-6(6), 6-3 victory. The young Australian won last week’s Nature Valley Open title in Nottingham but ran out of steam against the German.
Second seed Elina Svitolina will return to action on Friday, taking on Romania’s Mihaela Buzarnescu for a place in the semi-finals - check out the full order of play here.
In doubles, British duo Katie Boulter and Heather Watson missed out on a spot in the semi-finals as they fell in straight sets to 2018 French Open champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova. The Czech pairing will face top seeds Timea Babos and Kristina Mladenovic on Saturday for a place in the final.
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Limited tickets for the Nature Valley Classic are still available. Find out how to secure your tickets here and read more about other British Tennis events, including the Fever-Tree Championships.
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