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Noren through to semis in Austin
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Noren through to semis in Austin

Alex Noren will face Kevin Kisner in the semi-finals of the WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play after beating Cameron Smith 4 and 2 on Saturday afternoon.

After taking down Patrick Reed in the last 16 earlier in the day, the Swede led from start to finish as he saw off Smith with minimal fuss.

Justin Thomas will take on Bubba Watson in the final four, knowing victory will make him World Number One.

Kisner pulled off the biggest win of the day in his quarter-final encounter with match play specialist Ian Poulter, winning 8 and 6 after taking five holes in a row on the front nine.

Watson beat Kiradech Aphibarnrat 5 and 3 in the top match, while Thomas was a 2 and 1 winner against countryman Kyle Stanley.

Noren got off to a flying start against Smith, nonchalantly rolling in his 25-foot birdie putt at the first to go one up at the earliest opportunity.

The World Number 17 then made further birdies at the fifth and sixth to take a three-hole lead.

Alex Noren

But after Noren put his tee-shot into a bush at the short seventh, he carded a bogey at the eighth to lose two holes in quick succession.

Smith had a good chance to level things up at the tenth but he missed his birdie putt from seven feet to let Noren off the hook.

And the Swede took full advantage, tapping in from five feet for a two to go two up.

I was fortunate to come out on top here because he played well - Alex Noren

The Australian missed another birdie putt at the 12th - and with it an opportunity to close the gap back to one - and Noren once again made him pay, knocking in from close range for a birdie to win the 13th and go three up.

Smith then kept his head above water at the 14th as he chipped in for par from the fringe of the green to halve the hole.

Noren finally closed out the win at the 16th when Smith conceded after failing to find the green with his fourth shot.

After his win, Noren said: "I started out well. I was a few under after six holes. I then made two bogeys at the seventh and eighth.

"And he played well there in the middle and had a lot of chances. I was fortunate to come out on top here because he played well.

"It could have gone either way, I think."

Kisner drew first blood at the third after a poor first putt from range resulted in a bogey for Poulter.

And the American went two up at the next when Poulter conceded the fourth hole after sending his tee-shot into the hazard.

Things went from bad to worse for Poulter when Kisner fired back-to-back birdies at the fifth and sixth to extend his advantage to four holes.

And after the Englishman missed his 30-foot par putt at the par-three seventh, Kisner knocked his in from close range to go five up.

Kisner kept his foot on the gas, winning the ninth and tenth to increase his advantage to seven holes.

After Poulter put his second shot into the water at the 12th, he conceded the hole to bring the contest to an end.

Kisner said: "I probably didn't see that one coming.

"I got off to a good start by making a few birdies. He made a few mistakes and I was able to capitalise on those. And things just snowballed from there."

Watson won the second hole to take an early lead against Aphibarnrat but the 28 year old from Thailand knocked in his birdie putt from three feet at the next to level things up immediately.

Bubba Watson

There were birdies all-round at the fifth and sixth holes as the pair matched each other blow-for-blow in the early stages.

Aphibarnrat conceded the seventh after failing to find the putting surface with his tee-shot but, with Watson conceding the ninth, there was nothing to separate them at the turn.

Watson made a phenomenal start to the back nine, winning four holes in a row to establish a huge lead courtesy of pars at the tenth and 11th and birdies at the 12th and 13th.

And Aphibarnrat's concession at the 15th confirmed Watson's spot in the final four.

American Stanley, who took down Sergio Garcia to make the last eight, grabbed the lead early in his match with Thomas after the World Number Two missed his par putt from five feet.

Thomas notched birdies at the sixth and eighth to go one up before Stanley won the ninth with a birdie of his own to square the match.

But after Stanley was unable to hole his par putt at the tenth to hand the advantage back to Thomas, the 24 year old drained his long-range birdie effort at the next to go two up.

Thomas notched another birdie at the 12th before Stanley won the 13th but he could not do enough to stop Thomas' charge towards the semis.

 

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