"We had a big fight. I guess Kimiko is a good player and she was really fighting till the end," the eighth-seeded Hungarian said.
Szavay also said she hoped to get back to into the top 30 in the rankings to earn seedings for next year's Grand Slam events.
"I think that's the main point and for that, I'll have to win some matches." Szavay will face No.5-seeded Alisa Kleybanova after she beat fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-1, 6-2.
"Today wasn't a very tough match, I mean, the score shows it," Kleybanova said. "I'm just happy that I won it. I'm looking forward to my next matches." Top-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia beat Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, 6-2, 6-1 to set up a semifinal against Klara Zakopalova of Czech Republic, who beat former No.1 Dinara Safina of Russia 7-5, 6-3.
In Tashkent, Elena Vesnina and Alla Kudryavtseva will play in an all-Russian final at the Tashkent Open on Saturday in an attempt to win a first title.
In Friday's semifinals, fourth-seeded Vesnina rallied in the third set to beat fifth-seeded Monica Niculescu of Romania 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Seventh-seeded Kudryavtseva defeated Evgeniya Rodina 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.
Vesnina, 4-1 down in the third, won five consecutive games to secure her second appearance in a final this season. Niculescu, a doubles specialist, was playing in her first career singles semifinal.
Kudryavtseva opened strongly, winning the first set and breaking her opponent in the fifth game of the second to lead 3-2. But Rodina won four consecutive games to stay in the match, her first career semifinal appearance.
In the third set, Kudryavtseva broke in the eighth game and saved a break point before serving out the match.
In Bucharest, Romania, top-seeded Albert Montanes of Spain advanced to the semifinals of the BCR Open Romania on Friday after outlasting No. 8 Jeremy Chardy of France 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
The defending champion won the last three games of the match to seal the victory, after recovering from a second-set slump where he won just four points on his serve.
Marcel Granollers of Spain also advanced after ousting third-seeded Potito Starace of Italy 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4. Granollers will next play fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar, who defeated Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay 6-4, 6-4. Montanes will play fourth-seeded Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina, who beat Germany's Bjorn Phau 6-3, 6-3.
In Metz, France, eighth-seeded Gilles Simon of France reached his first ATP Tour semifinal of the season Friday with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 win over Xavier Malisse of Belgium at the Open de Moselle.
Simon saved seven of the eight break points he faced and broke Malisse three times.
Simon will play either top-seeded Marin Cilic or Philipp Kohlschreiber in his first Tour semifinal since last October in Lyon.
Simon, who was hampered by a right knee injury this season, lost just five points on his serve in the deciding set.
