Wozniacki advances, Li seals last-four place

Roddicks breezes in Carolina semis after easy win.

NEW HAVEN: Top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki cruised into the next round and China’s Li Na had to endure a rain delay before booking her spot in the semi-finals of the New Haven Open.

Wozniacki progressed with a 7-5, 6-3 win over American teenager Christina McHale while Li endured several hours of rain delays before advancing with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 quarter-final victory over Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Three-time defending champion Wozniacki, who has a perfect 15-0 career record at the annual final tournament before the US Open, broke McHale’s serve in the eighth game of the second set of the one hour, 42-minute centre court match.

Meanwhile, Li will play qualifier Petra Cetkovska who beat fourth-seed Marion Bartoli 7-5, 7-5 and Wozniacki faces third-seeded Francesca Schiavone.

Roddick breezes into Carolina semis

Andy Roddick rifled his ninth ace to set up a match point and finished it off with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Juan Monaco as the American continued to lift his game at the Winston-Salem Open.

Top-seed Roddick is making up for a lost summer, the majority of which he sat out with a post-Wimbledon abdominal muscle strain.

“I wanted to get off in two sets, I didn’t feel the heat to be honest,” said Roddick. “I’ve been anxious and ready to play, that set the tone for the match.”

The former number one and 2003 US Open champion will play to reach his first final since February when he faces compatriot John Isner.

The bottom half of the draw will pit Frenchman Julien Benneteau against Dutch tenth-seed Robin Haase.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th,  2011.