Tennis: Nadal, Murray set up semis showdown

Azarenka handed year’s 1st defeat in Miami.

MIAMI: Rafael Nadal set up a mouth-watering semi-final clash with Andy Murray at the Miami Open, coming through a tough battle with French sixth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The Spanish world number two, chasing his first title of the season, needed almost three hours to defeat Tsonga 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.

The 2009 champion Murray, chasing his second title of the season after a win in Brisbane, rallied to beat Serb ninth seed Janko Tipsarevic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Murray called for the doctor in the first set when he was ahead 3-2, saying he had an upset stomach and was suffering from indigestion.

“I don’t know if I drunk too much beforehand and kind of over-hydrated,” said Murray.

Bartoli ends Azarenka’s  winning streak

Victoria Azarenka’s 26-match winning streak was ended by Marion Bartoli, who stunned the world number one 6-3, 6-3 in the women’s quarter-finals.

Azarenka’s season-long unbeaten run had earned her four titles, including her first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, which propelled her to world number one. It was the longest winning streak on the WTA Tour since Martina Hingis won 37 consecutive matches in 1997.

“I feel disappointed, sure,” said Azarenka. “But what I’ve done in the last couple of months, I have to be really proud of myself. I could have maybe played better today.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2012.