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Azarenka’s injury assists Wozniacki

Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic crushed leg-weary Caroline Wozniacki to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Championships, while American holder Venus Williams reached the last four on Friday without hitting a ball.

On a day when calculators were needed to work out the various permutations in the two groups of four, Wozniacki deservedly also survived for the weekend.

The Dane progressed after Belarussian Victoria Azarenka’s hopes ended in tears when she retired injured in the third set of her match against stand-in Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

In yesterday’s semi-finals, world No. 1 Serena Williams, a class apart so far this week, was set to face White Group runner-up Wozniacki while sister Venus, who is through despite two defeats in three matches in the Maroon Group, was to play Jankovic.

Venus crept in on a sets countback after already eliminated Svetlana Kuznetsova beat fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-2 to leave three players tied on one win each.

The feisty Wozniacki, a surprise US Open finalist last month, has gone through the full range of emotions on her first appearance at the WTA’s showpiece finale.

After spending a total of almost six hours on court in winning her first two round-robin matches against Azarenka and first alternate Vera Zvonareva, she crumbled against Jankovic, losing 6-2, 6-2 as she battled fatigue and an abdominal strain.

“I didn’t have anything left. I couldn’t play like I wanted to. I had some pain in my stomach muscle so I couldn’t serve,” the 19-year-old, who the day before had writhed in agony with cramp late on against against Zvonareva, told reporters.

Quite what shape she would be in yesterday against the formidable power of Serena, in what will be her fourth match in as many days, is debatable.

“It’s still the hamstring. I also have my stomach iced,” she said. “My body is just tired now. I was hoping for a couple more matches here but after this I’m ready for a vacation.”

Needing Radwanska to beat Azarenka in the day’s final match, Wozniacki looked resigned to her fate as she laughed and joked with father and coach Piotr in the stands when the Belarussian went 6-2, 5-2 ahead and was on the verge of the semi-finals.

However, Azarenka began to struggle with a thigh injury and Radwanska reeled off five games in a row to win the second set. A hobbling and tearful Azarenka quit at 4-1 down in the third.

“I started cramping in the second set but it kept getting worse throughout the match,” she said.

World No. 4 Wozniacki believed she deserved to reach the semis but admitted it was tough watching Azarenka suffer.

“Usually, I wouldn’t cheer for any of them because they’re both my friends. But now, in this situation, I think it’s normal that I cheer for Radwanska,” she said.

Radwanska pocketed the tidy sum of US$200,000.

Jankovic, the last player to qualify for the lucrative tournament, had come a long way in three days.

On Tuesday she looked ready to head for the airport after a crushing defeat at the hands of Azarenka, but the cards fell in her favor.

She was gifted victory in her second match when Dinara Safina retired after two games and on Friday Wozniacki, who she had beaten twice before, was clearly in no shape for a fight on another day of oppressive heat and humidity.

After sharing the first four games, Jankovic, who had spent 95 minutes on court compared with Wozniacki’s energy-sapping total of 348, won the next eight on her way to topping the group.

“I knew that I had to win in order to go to the semi-finals, and if I lost this match I was out of the competition,” Jankovic told reporters. “So it was a lot of pressure.”



Also See: Safin sets up semi against Stakhovsky
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