Serena anticipates ‘good game’ with Li in final

World number one ousts old rival Sharapova from Miami.

MIAMI: Serena Williams is looking forward to her clash with China’s Li Na in the Miami Masters final, after defeating Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday.

Serena will be seeking her second straight Miami crown when she takes on Australian Open champ Li who booked her spot in the final of the combined WTA and ATP event by beating Dominika Cibulkova 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.

The 32-year-old Serena is the top seed and Li is number two but their head-to-head record is one-sided in favour of Serena, who has won 10 of 11 career meetings and hasn't lost a match to Li in six years.

"She brings some good game," Serena said of Li. "She comes to the net, and I'm enjoying that right now."

Sharapova, ranked fifth in the world and seeded fourth, seized the first break in each set against Serena, but couldn't build on that as she went down to the American for a 15th straight time.

Serena leads their career head-to-head 16-2, and Sharapova's two victories in the rivalry came back in 2004.

In Thursday's second semi-final, Li improved to 7-0 against 11th-ranked Cibulkova.

World number two Li hit two aces but she won 46 of 79 first serve points in the two-hour, 20-minute match.

Li won despite hitting six double faults and taking just eight of 29 points on her second serve.

Nadal, Berdych book semis berths

World number one Rafael Nadal advanced to the semi-finals of the ATP Tour's Miami Masters tournament Thursday by rallying to beat Canadian Milos Raonic 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Spain's Nadal clinched the victory on the first match point in the third set when Raonic failed to reach a spinning serve out wide on hardcourts at the Crandon Park Tennis Center.

"Today was a special opponent with a strong game from the baseline,” said Nadal.

Top seed Nadal advances to the semis, where he will face seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych, who cooled off the red-hot Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6 (7/3).

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2014.

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