Kvitova, Keys into Brisbane International semifinals

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and Madison Keys won Friday at the Brisbane International to set up a semifinal encounter at Pat Rafter Arena. Kvitova beat qualifier Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-2 and Keys beat fellow American Danielle Collins 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinals. Brady was coming off wins over Maria Sharapova in the first round and top-ranked Ash Barty in the second.

Keys, a 2017 U.S. Open finalist, reached the semifinals in Brisbane for the first time in four attempts. "Happy to get a lot of matches in and feel like a lot of what I was working on during off-season is kind of immediately clicking," Keys said. "There's still some things that I want to do a little bit better, but it's definitely a great starting point for the year."

In later quarterfinals, defending Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka plays Kiki Bertens and Brisbane International defending champion Karolina Pliskova takes on Alison Riske. The Australian Open starts Jan. 20 in Melbourne.