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From : fineanno
Added: Oct 30, 2009
DOHA, QATAR — Serena Williams became the first player on Thursday to clinch a spot in the semifinals of the W.T.A. Sony Ericsson Championships, defeating Elena Dementieva, 6-2, 6-4, for her third straight victory in the round-robin group phase. Her sister Venus, the defending champion, stayed alive on Thursday by beating Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, for her first victory in three matches. She needed Kuznetsova to beat Dementieva on Friday to have a chance of advancing to the semifinals. Earlier, Caroline Wozniacki overcame severe leg cramps and a tenacious Vera Zvonareva to win, 6-0, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4. After the match, Zvonareva, who replaced the injured No. 1 Dinara Safina on Wednesday, pulled out of the tournament citing a right ankle injury. Her place was taken by the second alternate, Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, who was to play Victoria Azarenka on Friday but had no chance of advancing. Serena Williams was broken to trail, 2-1, in the first set, but then won seven straight games to take control. She converted her third match point when Dementieva sent the ball into the net, pumped her fist and yelled Finally! Williams, who secured the year-end No. 1 ranking when Safina retired with a back injury, failed to get out of the round-robin phase of the tournament in the past two years. Im happy to finally do well, she said. Im kind of used to the elimination thing: If you lose, youre out. But I was just trying to do better than I did last year and compete in all my matches, which sometimes is very hard. Dementieva, who rallied from a set down to beat Venus Williams in the opening match, didnt find her stride against Serena Williams until trailing, 2-0, in the second set. The encounter failed to live up to their epic three-set Wimbledon semifinal, billed by many as the best womens match of the year. Dementieva won the longest game of the match after converting her fifth break point to make it 2-1, and the set went with serve until the last game. Wozniacki needed two medical timeouts in the third set and collapsed to the court clutching both legs after netting a forehand at 30-15 in the last game. I have absolutely no idea how I pulled it through, but Im very happy about it, she said. Two days after tearfully pulling out of the W.T.A. Championships with a serious back injury that she thought could keep her out of the Australian Open, Dinara Safina has entered the Brisbane International, which precedes the Open, The Associated Press reported. The Brisbane International will be the perfect tournament to get some tough match practice in the lead-up to the Australian Open, Safina said Friday in a statement issued by Brisbane International organizers. The Open begins Jan. 18, and the Brisbane International runs from Jan. 3 to 10. The Associated Press
Category : Sports

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