Chan Yung-jan and Martina Hingis took another step closer to an Indian Wells-Miami “Sunshine double” by advancing to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles on Wednesday, while Venus Williams ousted top seed Angelique Kerber in the quarter-finals of the singles in Key Biscayne, Florida.
Fifth seeds Chan and Hingis took 72 minutes to see off the challenge of Andreja Klepac and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-4, 6-2, their third straight victory over the Slovenian-Spanish pairing after wins in Doha and Indian Wells.
The Taiwanese-Swiss duo saved two of five break points and converted six of 13 to advance to a semi-final against third seeds Sania Mirza of India and Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic.
Photo: EPA
After sticking together through tough losses in Doha and Dubai, the fifth seeds are now on a eight-match winning streak, having claimed the title in Indian Wells earlier this month.
“When we started in Doha, I wasn’t quite up to it in the super tiebreak and wasn’t much of a help,” Hingis told the WTA Web site.
“Otherwise, I think we could have done better there, but Doha and Dubai helped us get a feel for each other and to trust each other, so we know what to do on the court,” she said.
Photo: AP
“It’s not fair for her to say she wasn’t playing well at the beginning,” Chan replied. “I had a similar partner like her, a net player [sister Chan Hao-ching]. For me it was easier to adapt, but for her, I might be a little bit different than her previous partners, so she needed more time to understand and get a rhythm.”
“In Indian Wells, we got two weeks to practice and be together, having cheesecake and going shopping,” Hingis said.
“That helped a lot with our communication and that brought us closer together. That’s why we won and that’s why we’re in the semi-finals here,” she said.
Photo: Screen grab from Facebook
However, Hingis was wary of facing former partner Mirza and Strycova in the semi-finals, the pairing she and Chan defeated in the quarter-finals in Indian Wells.
“Playing them, it’s one of the best teams out there,” she said. “We have to take it seriously and I know they’ll probably want to get back at us from Indian Wells.”
“Everyone around here is going to give you a tough match and they’re very strong,” Chan said.
Photo: EPA
“We’ll just try to play our best tennis and we’ll see how it goes,” she said.
In the singles, Williams moved a step closer to her first title in Miami since 2001 by beating top-ranked Kerber 7-5, 6-3.
It was a matchup of offense against defense, with Williams the more aggressive player, charging the net often.
“Sometimes I didn’t quite get it over that line, but I kept going for it,” Williams said. “I was aggressive, and that’s when I play my best.”
It was Williams’ 15th career win against a world No. 1 player, but her first since 2014.
Williams’ semi-final opponent was 10th seed Johanna Konta, who became the first British woman to reach a semi-finals at Key Biscayne by beating third seed Simona Halep 3-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2.
“She’s living the dream,” Williams said. “I’ve got a dream, too.”
Second seed Karolina Pliskova was due to play 12th seed Caroline Wozniacki in the other semi-final.
In the men’s singles, four-time runner-up Rafael Nadal advanced to the semi-finals by beating Jack Sock of the US 6-2, 6-3.
Nadal’s opponent is Fabio Fognini, who became the first unseeded player in 10 years to reach the semis at Key Biscayne when he beat last year’ runner-up Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-4, 6-2.
Nadal is playing Key Biscayne for the 13th time, making it his longest title drought at any tournament.
Fognini, 29, matched his best showing at an ATP Masters 1000 event.
“He’s playing well,” Nadal said of Fognini. “It will be a good test for me. I’m happy to be in the semi-finals. I’ll have to play my best and play aggressive like I did today [Wednesday],” he said.
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