Hampton advances to semis in Brussels Open

Hampton advances to the semi-finals of the Brussels Open with her victory over Roberta Vinci. (AP/Felice Calabro')

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Jamie Hampton of the United States came from behind for the third day in a row to reach the semifinals of the Brussels Open, beating second-seeded Roberta Vinci 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday.

After beating Belgians Yanina Wickmayer and Kirsten Flipkens in tense three-setters early in the week, the 68th-ranked Hampton again refused to crumble in in the cold and wet conditions against the Italian.

The victory in the rain-interrupted match earned the 23-year-old Hampton her first premier event semifinal, against Kaia Kanepi. The Estonian beat seventh-seeded Varvara Lepchenko of the United States, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4).

In the other semifinal, Romina Oprandi of Switzerland plays Peng Shuai of China, the only seeded player left in the event at No. 8.

Both semifinals and the final will be played Saturday.

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