The 28-year-old from Neuwied was already behind Diane Parry by set and 4-1 before moving into the next round with 1-6, 7-6 (4) and 6-3. There she will play against Katerina Siniakova (Czech Republic) or Jasmine Paolini (Italy) on Saturday for a place in the final.

Friedsam had already shown her comeback qualities in the previous games. She lost a set 6-0 in both the first round against Elizabeth Mandlik (USA) and in the round of 16 against the top seeded British player Emma Raducanu.

With her first semi-final on the WTA tour since March 2020 in Lyon, Friedsam has climbed into at least the top 150 in the world rankings. Her best placing so far was 45th in August 2016.