Sharapova ready for face-off with Wozniacki

Top-seed Caroline Wozniacki eases into semi-finals where she is joined by Maria Sharapova at Indian Wells.

INDIAN WELLS:

Top-seed Caroline Wozniacki, whose opponent pulled out with a painful injury, eased into the semi-finals where she was joined by Maria Sharapova at Indian Wells.

Wozniacki was ahead 3-0 when Victoria Azarenka packed it in after taking a lengthy medical timeout to receive treatment for an injury to the left side of her hip.

Eighth-seeded Azarenka suffered the setback just 10 minutes into the match on the second point of the third game while stretching to try and return a shot. World number one Wozniacki said she was sorry to win that way.

“Victoria is one of my best friends on the tour, and to see her in pain on the court and to see her get injured was not nice for sure,” said Wozniacki.

Sharapova to face world number one

Wozniacki moves on to play three-time grand slam champion Sharapova who defeated China’s Peng Shuai 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in a two-hour, 22-minute marathon quarter-final.

Sharapova won her quarter-final despite committing 13 double faults and winning just 27 per cent of her second-serve points.

“I played well in the first set-and-a-half and then my level dropped,” said Sharapova.

Nadal battles into semis

Meanwhile, world number one Rafael Nadal battled back from losing the first set against 239th-ranked Ivo Karlovic to reach the semi-finals.

The Spanish top seed clinched a 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (9/7) win on his third match point in the third set tiebreak when the Croatian smacked a forehand long to end the match lasting nearly two-and-a-half hours.

“It was a very tight, difficult match,” said Nadal. “In the third set his serve was unstoppable. In the tiebreaker I was really nervous. For sure it is a big day for me to be in the semi-final.”

Del Potro ready for Nadal

Nadal, who will be playing in his sixth consecutive semi-final at the tournament, will play Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro next, who progressed without even taking to the court after Tommy Robredo withdrew with an injury.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2011.