Taiwanese hopes were ended at the US Open on Wednesday when Chan Yung-jan crashed out in the semi-finals of the mixed doubles, losing to a familiar foe.
Second seeds Chan and Rohan Bopanna of India fell to a 6-2, 7-5 defeat to fourth seeds Martina Hingis and Leander Paes of India in just over an hour a day after Chan’s bid for women’s doubles glory had also been ended by the Swiss former world No. 1.
Hingis and Paes saved one of two break points and converted four of eight, winning 61 of the 106 points contested on Court 17 to advance to a final against unseeded the US duo of Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sam Querrey, who ousted Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic and Lukasz Kubot of Poland 6-4, 6-3.
Photo: AFP
In the singles, Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka shrugged off the threat of rain to storm into the semi-finals, while Simona Halep stood up for the younger generation to complete a women’s final four that features three thirtysomethings.
Moved from the Arthur Ashe Stadium court to Louis Armstrong to bring Federer’s match forward, Wawrinka appeared untroubled by the change of venue, needing just 1 hour, 47 minutes to repel big-hitting South African Kevin Anderson 6-4, 6-4, 6-0.
Second seed Federer turned in an equally economical effort, brushing aside Frenchman Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 in a tidy 87 minutes to set up an all-Swiss semi-final today.
The other side of the draw features a battle of the big men, with top seed Novak Djokovic taking on defending champion Marin Cilic.
“Emotionally it’s not so hard for me, but subconsciously, you know he knows what your preferences are, where you like to go and where you’re probably going to go,” said Federer, who holds a commanding 16-3 advantage over his Davis Cup teammate and reigning French Open champion.
“That’s the weird part. I feel we meet each other somewhere in our minds before the point is being played out,” he said.
Federer and Gasquet are both armed with elegant one-handed backhands, but apart from that aesthetically pleasing stroke, there were very few similarities in their lopsided contest.
The 17-time Grand Slam winner could hardly miss and Gasquet all too often played the role of innocent bystander as the Swiss maestro uncorked 50 winners to a mere eight from the 12th-seeded Frenchman.
Anderson lacked the energy he displayed in a fourth-round upset of third seed Andy Murray, allowing Wawrinka to dictate play for large stretches of the match.
The South African, who leans heavily on his serve, could manage just nine aces and one break point the entire match, which he was unable to convert.
“I’ve improved a lot over the past three years and feel much closer to his level now,” Wawrinka said of Federer.
“He is playing really well here, so I will need to be at my best,” he said. “He’s had some amazing matches and I know it will be a big challenge but I think I’m ready.”
Halep moved closer to a first Grand Slam singles title after edging Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to set up a meeting with Flavia Pennetta, who toppled Czech fifth seed Petra Kvitova 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to join compatriot Roberta Vinci in the last four.
Defying the odds, rankings and age, 33-year-old Pennetta and 32-year-old Vinci etched their names in history by becoming the first two Italian women to reach the semi-finals of the same Grand Slam in the Open Era.
With 33-year-old Serena Williams also in the last four, 23-year-old Halep will be conceding almost a decade of experience to her remaining challengers.
“Of course we are a little bit old for the age of tennis right now, but we are here and still fighting,” Pennetta said.
However, the dream of an all-Italian final will require some special magic, particularly from Vinci, who has the daunting task of facing three-time defending US Open champion and world No. 1 Williams.
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