World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus charged into the final of the Indian Wells WTA tournament with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Germany’s Angelique Kerber on Friday.
Both players struggled to hold serve in breezy conditions on the showpiece stadium court, but Azarenka sealed the win by breaking her 18th-seeded opponent in the ninth game of the second set when the German hit a forehand long.
Australian Open champion Azarenka will face second-seeded Maria Sharapova today’s final after 2008 winner Ana Ivanovic of Serbia retired hurt from the second semi-final because of an injured left hip while trailing the Russian 6-4, 0-1.
Photo: Reuters
The title showdown at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden will be a repeat of the Australian Open final in January, when Azarenka won her first grand slam title with a crushing 6-3, 6-0 victory over Sharapova
“I can’t play, I can’t push,” a tearful Ivanovic told the chair umpire before withdrawing from her match in the last four.
Ivanovic had taken a medical time-out after the ninth game of the first set before returning to the court for two more games, and exiting with Sharapova 30-0 up on her serve.
“After the treatment, it was just getting worse and worse rapidly,” the 24-year-old Serb later told reporters. “We taped it and then I tried to continue, but at the end, I couldn’t even return. I’m very disappointed ... I really felt like I have been playing the best tennis probably played in a very, very long time.”
Sharapova, champion here in 2006, lost serve in the second game of the match, but she broke back in the third and seventh games before clinching the set in just over an hour when Ivanovic hit a forehand long.
“It was unfortunate that it had to end this way,” the Russian former world No. 1 said of Ivanovic’s injury. “I thought towards the end of the second set we started playing really good, high quality tennis.”
Sharapova was delighted, though, to advance after a relatively short match before taking on the game’s hottest player in the final.
“She [Azarenka] is definitely the one to beat right now, someone who is playing with a lot of confidence and all the momentum in the world,” the Russian said. “I’d love to get my revenge from Australia and play much better, as well.”
Top seed Azarenka improved her record for this year to 22-0 with her victory over left-hander Kerber.
“I am so excited, it’s the first time for me to be in the final here,” a beaming Azarenka said in a courtside interview. “It’s a great event and I love playing here.”
Asked how tricky the swirling breezes had been, Azarenka replied: “It was a little bit difficult, especially from one side, but it made it more interesting, a lot more adversity and challenge for both of us. Overall, I played pretty good on the return. I really was impressed by the way Angelique was playing. She really pushed me to raise my level and really dig to win that match.”
The pony-tailed Belarussian moved into outright second place for the best start to a WTA Tour season since 1997.
Swiss Martina Hingis leads the way with 37 consecutive victories to launch her 1997 campaign with Azarenka next best and American Serena Williams in third, with 21 in 2003.
Playing Kerber for the first time, Azarenka traded early service breaks with the German before again breaking her opponent in the ninth to take the opening set 6-4 in 48 minutes.
Kerber, who upset eighth seed Li Na of China 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-finals, was then broken four more times in an erratic second set as the Belarussian wrapped up the win.
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REUTERS, INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA
Three-time champion Roger Federer and twice winner Rafael Nadal won their quarter-final matches at the Indian Wells ATP tournament on Friday to set up an enticing last four showdown.
Federer booked his place in the semi-finals with a ruthless 6-3, 6-2 victory over big-serving Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina before Nadal fought back to beat David Nalbandian, also of Argentina, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
Yesterday’s other semi-final was to pit Serbian world No. 1 Novak Djokovic against 11th-seeded American John Isner, both players having advanced on Thursday.
Second seed Nadal was delighted to scrape through, saving two break points in a gripping 10th game of the third set before sealing victory with a forehand drop shot to end an absorbing baseline rally.
Nalbandian, on the run, sent his attempted backhand return well wide and Nadal punched the air in delight as the stadium court erupted after a riveting encounter lasting two hours, 39 minutes.
“It was a very difficult match for me,” the second-seeded Spaniard said in a courtside interview after almost blowing a 5-2 lead in the final set. “I started a little bit more nervous than usual against a tough player like David. He’s beaten me a few times in the past so it was a very important victory for me.”
“I am very excited to be back here,” added left-hander Nadal, who has reached the semi-finals in his last seven attempts at Indian Wells.
Nadal was to face Federer for a 28th time in yesterday’s semi-finals in their first ever meeting at Indian Wells.
“I am playing probably against the best [player] in history,” said the Spaniard, who holds an 18-9 career advantage over the Swiss. “And because I played probably the most important matches in my career against him and -probably him against me, that’s why it makes the match a little bit more special than the rest.”
Federer agreed: “I have had some great matches with him all around the world by now. He has such great movement that this is a court that works well for him. I would expect a difficult match.”
Nalbandian, whose last victory over Nadal came at the 2007 Masters Series event in Paris, broke the Spaniard in the 10th game of the match when he hit a searing forehand winner down the line to take the opening set.
It was the first set Nadal had dropped in the tournament, having breezed through his first three matches for the loss of just 14 games at the hardcourt venue.
The second set went with serve until Nalbandian was broken in the 11th game after netting an attempted backhand drop shot to trail 30-40 and then double-faulting. Nadal comfortably held serve to level the match.
The Spaniard seized control in the third set, breaking the Argentine in the first and seventh games to lead 5-2.
Nadal was then broken while serving for the match in the eighth, squandered a match point in the ninth and finally sealed victory on his second opportunity after an absorbing 10th game.
Swiss world No. 3 Federer broke ninth seed Del Potro once in the opening set and twice in the second to wrap up his win in just over an hour at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
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