Defending champion Maria Sharapova moved to within one victory of her third straight Stuttgart title after a 6-1 6-2 win over Italy's Sara Errani.
Sharapova, who won the title in 2012 and 2013, needed just under an hour to see off clay-court specialist Errani in what was a repeat of the 2012 French Open final which the Russian also won.
"The further you go in the tournament, the harder it gets, and I really wanted to step up and produce a good performance," Sharapova said, who claimed her 12th straight win in Stuttgart.
"The first tournament on clay is always tough - it's important to improve with each match and I think I've done that this week.
"I know how good Sara is on the surface and I was extra ready to perform against her.