THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- American Serena Williams will face older sister Venus in the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championship after both advanced with straight-set wins Thursday.
Top-seeded Serena Williams beat eighth-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-4, 6-4 in the quarter-finals while Venus Williams defeated defending champion Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-3.
"We are both the best players on the tour right now," said Serena, who is 9-9 against her older sister. "Obviously, we both are also playing our best tennis right now, which definitely makes our matches more exciting."
Ivanovic, a former top-ranked player, tried to unsettle Serena with an attacking game at the Aviation Club.
"She was really trying to hit hard," said Serena Williams, who won the Australian Open last month. "I think her goal was to go for broke.
"I was feeling as bit tired at the start of the second set, but wasn't too worried about her going 3-0 up as I knew I was just a break down. I knew I could pull it off."
Venus Williams raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set, and in the second broke her opponent again when the fourth-seeded Russian double-faulted in the seventh game.
"She has been playing great this year and she is a great player," Venus Williams said. "She likes to control the match, and I also like doing the same.
"So, I am pleased that I was able to do that."
Also, Virginie Razzano of France upset fifth-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia 7-6 (7), 7-5, and 16th-seeded Kaia Kanepi of Estonia beat Russian qualifier Elena Vesnina 6-3, 7-5.
No comments:
Post a Comment