China Open: Li Na sets up semi-final date with Sharapova

Top-seed Azarenka also advances to Beijing’s last-four

BEIJING: Home favourite Li Na set up a testing China Open semi-final with Russian tennis queen Maria Sharapova as the fairytale run of Zhang Ze in the men’s draw came crashing to a halt.

Li, Asia’s only Grand Slam winner, defeated defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-4, 6-2 to join Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka in the last-four, who dropped just two games between them in their quarter-final matches.

“I have played the best tennis of my career in the last two years,” said Li. “I am excited to return to the WTA Championships again this year.”

Showing ominous form, French Open champion Sharapova, won the first set 6-0, and was 3-0 up in the second when Germany’s Angelique Kerber quit the match citing an injury to her right foot.

“I thought we played a high level of tennis in the first set and a half,” said Sharapova. “Even though the scoreline was 6-0, 3-0 there were many games that went to deuce. She had a few break points and long games on her serve,” the Russian added, saying Kerber was probably lacking fitness at the end of a long season. “The schedule takes its toll on everyone. If you feel like it’s too bad, you’ve got to take care of it.”

Azarenka, from Belarus, maintained her scintillating form, dismissing Romina Oprandi of Switzerland 6-2, 6-0.

“It’s never easy to go on the tennis court and win the match even though the score was like this,” said Azarenka. “It’s important to stay tough and have that concentration to make sure that you can win every ball and every point. I felt like I was playing well, but it wasn’t easy.”

Zhang Ze’s winning streak comes to an end

In the men’s draw, Chinese wildcard Zhang Ze’s impressive run came to an end when he suffered a straight-sets defeat to Germany’s Florian Mayer in the quarter-finals.

The 22-year-old, ranked 165th in the world, made history in the last-16 when he became the first Chinese man ever to beat a top 20 player, dumping out Richard Gasquet.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2012.