LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Former champions Madison Keys and Jelena Ostapenko stormed into the semifinals of the Eastbourne WTA tournament on Thursday with commanding straight-sets victories in the Wimbledon warm-up event.

Keys, the 2014 and 2023 Eastbourne title-winner, has still to drop a set at this year’s edition following a 6-3, 6-1 quarter-final win over McCartney Kessler in an all-American clash.

Meanwhile, 2021 Eastbourne champion Ostapenko cruised into the last four with a 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Zeynep Sonmez, despite suffering from heat stroke the previous night.

Keys and Ostapenko are the last two seeds left in the women’s draw.

They each have one Grand Slam singles title to their credit, with Latvia’s Ostapenko the 2017 French Open champion and Keys triumphing at last year’s Australian Open.

Keys will face Petra Marcinko in her semi-final after the Croatian defeated Caty McNally 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and 18 minutes.

“I’m very happy with today’s performance,” said Keys after reaching her fourth semi-final on Eastbourne’s grass courts.

Former Wimbledon semi-finalist Ostapenko, who will next face Tatjana Maria after she won 6-3, 7-5 against Tereza Valentova, was just pleased to be back in action on Thursday.