Samantha Stosur is eyeing her first final of the season as her promising French Open build-up continues at the Strasbourg International.
Stosur needed more than two hours to overcame Ajla Tomljanovic 6-4 3-6 6-4 in their all-Australian quarter-final on Thursday.
Her reward is a first semi-final of the season, with the 2010 Roland Garros runner-up to take on American Sloane Stephens for a spot in the title decider.
Stephens reached the last four after Serbian second seed Jelena Jankovic retired from their match after losing the first set 6-1.
Top seed Madison Keys pulled out of her scheduled quarter-final before even hitting a ball.
The American's elbow injury gave Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic a walkover into the semi-finals.
Keys, who rallied from one set and 5-0 down to beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-0) on Wednesday, withdrew as a precautionary measure ahead of the French Open starting on Sunday.
Mladenovic will next play countrywoman Virgine Razzano after she rallied to beat Russian Elena Vesnina 4-6 6-1 6-1.
Third-seeded Stosur is the highest-ranked player left in the draw after surviving a spirited fightback from Tomljanovic, the Croatian-born talent now coached by Stosur's ex-mentor David Taylor.
Stosur charged to a 5-1 lead in the opening set and looked like running away with the match.
But she found herself in a long battle after Tomljanovic dug in before holding firm in an impressive serving display in the deciding set.
Stosur is chasing her first title since winning Osaka last October.
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