No.1 seed Maddison Inglis has been bundled out of the Australian Open wildcard play-off in straight sets by seventh-seeded Victorian Belinda Woodcock.
Inglis survived a scare from wildcard Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz in the first round at Melbourne Park, but was no match for Woodcock, who prevailed 6-3 6-2 in Thursday’s quarter-final.
“Honestly, it was a match where I was very proud of myself because simple things I’ve been working on in training started to pay off,” Woolcock said.
“Things like my court positioning and looking for the opportunity to come forward and it really showed.
“I played Maddi not long ago and I was a bit disappointed with the result but I think I began to do the right things and it took me a few more weeks to work on these aspects of my game.
“I’m just really happy that it paid off.”
Woodcock will face No.4 seed Arina Rodionova in a semi-final on Saturday after she dispatched Queenslander Olivia Tjandramulia 7-5 6-0 in the first match of the day.
No.8 seed Abbie Myers will take on Western Australia’s Storm Sanders in the other semi after she came back from a break down in the third set to prevail 6-2 4-6 6-3 over wildcard Gabriella Da Silva Fick.
“I just played solidly in the first set and I think she was a little bit nervous,” Myers said.
“Then she stepped it up in the second set and I didn’t.
“She had momentum again in the third set and I really don’t know how I came back.”
Sanders defeated third-seeded Victorian Destanee Aiava 6-2 6-3 to advance.
The men’s draw continues on Friday, with No.1 seed Alex Bolt taking on Max Purcell in the first semi-final and John-Patrick Smith up against Maverick Banes in an all-Queensland semi.