Keothavong heads for rankings boost

Anne Keothavong continued her superb run of form to reach the semi-finals of the Luxembourg Open with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Iveta Benesova.

The British No 2 has struggled to recapture her form since returning from a serious knee injury sustained earlier in the season; at one stage during her time out she even hinted that she was considering her future in the game.

Keothavong, 27, is still ranked 143rd in the world, well adrift of her best of 48 set last February, but she has now taken a significant leap back towards the top 100. This week she beat world No 43 Patty Schnyder and followed that up yesterday with a gritty win over Czech Benesova, who is ranked 66th.

Keothavong converted only two of 12 break-point chances in the first set, which she eventually lost on a tie-break, but she kept plugging away and finally wrapped up victory after two hours and 41 minutes.