TENNIS QATAR OPEN – Venus Williams rallied from a second-set loss to overcome Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets with 6-3 1-6 6-4 at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha. Diego Sampaolo
Venus Williams rallied from a second-set loss to overcome Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets with 6-3 1-6 6-4 at the Khalifa Tennis Complex in Doha. Williams served out the match on her second match point with a forehand down the line. Venus had already beaten Aga in the fourth round at the Australian Open last January
Venus broke serve in the first game of the opening set. The only break of the set was enough for Venus to clinch the first set with 6-4 in 40 minutes. Radwanska raised her level in the second set and forced the match to the third set with 6-1. Williams bounced back in the decider and clinched her third consecutive match at the third set with 6-3 with a forehand winner down the line.
“Our last match was three sets and it felt like as soon as I thought I was going to win at 5-1. She hit nothing but winners. It was a challenge and I am glad to have gotten through. I just tried to stay focused because she wasn’t going to let up. Every match this week has been three sets ì, so it’s been really challenging. No one gives you a point, you have to fight for each point”, said Venus Williams
Viktoria Azarenka, twice Doha champion in 2012 and 2013, beat Caroline Wozniacki for the second time this year one month after their second-round match at the Australian Open to reach the semifinal, Azarenka clinched a straight-set win with 6-3 6-1 in one hour and a half extending her winning streak to 13 consecutive wins in Doha. The score does not reflect the true level of the match which was very intense with a lot of hard-fought games and long rallies. Vika hit 16 winners.
Viktoria will fight against Venus for a spot in the final. It promises to be an intriguing semifinal.
“I am playing so well and I love the atmosphere here. I missed it last year so much and I am trying to make up for it and stay here as long as possible”, said Azarenka
Carla Suarez Navarro fought back from a set down to edge past Petra Kvitova with 3-6 6-0 6-3. The Spanish player won for the second time against Kvitova in consecutive weeks after beating her Czech rival in Dubai.
In the semifinal Suarez Navarro will face Lucie Safarova who dropped just three games in her 6-2 6-1 win over German Andrea Petkovic. Safarova played an excellent match in which she hit 30 winners. Safarova has crowned an excellent week in which she beat Sam Stosur and Ekaterina Makarova in the previous two matches.
