Sam and Anna shine
Top two stars set up semis clash in Kremlin Cup
MOSCOW: Top-seeded Australian Samantha Stosur eased into the Kremlin Cup semi-finals on Friday with a comfortable 6-1, 6-3 win over Czech Klara Zakopalova to set-up a clash with former world No.1 Ana Ivanovic.
Stosur, currently ninth in the WTA rankings, was in command from the start breaking Zakopalova’s serve three times for a one-set lead in 27 minutes.
In the second set, Stosur was trailing 3-1 after Zakopalova broke in the third game. But the 2011 US Open champion then broke back twice to win the set and the match.
Stosur will now face Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion and fourth seed, who also advanced into the semi-finals beating unheralded compatriot Vesna Dolonc 6-4, 6-1 in an all-Serbian quarter-final.
“It’s going to be a tough match as we didn’t play each other for a long time,” Stosur said about the semifinal.
“I’m going to be ready for anything. I shall concentrate onmy own game, be ready to work hard and be also ready for long rallies.”
Third seed Caroline Wozniacki defeated defending champion Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia to also advance. Former world number one Wozniacki won 6-2, 6-7 (1-7), 6-1 to record her ninth win over Cibulkova, who is 14th in the rankings, in their 12th head-to-head meeting.
“It was a very good match as both of us played very well,” Wozniacki said.
The 22-year-old Dane, who is currently 11th in the world but could still break into the top 10 by season’s end, broke twice in winning the opening set.
In the semi-finals, Wozniacki will face Sofia Arvidsson of Sweden.
Arvidsson saw off seventh seed Maria Kirilenko, the last Russian player in the draw, 6-3, 6-3.
In the men’s section of the event, Malek Jaziri beat Czech Lukas Rosol 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 to become the first Tunisian player to reach an ATP semi-final.
In the semi-finals, Jaziri will face second-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy who eased past Japan’s eighth seed Tatsuma Ito, 6-2, 6-1.
Croatian giant Ivo Karlovic also breezed into the semis, beating Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
He will face fourth seeded Brazilian Thomaz Belluci Belluci, who beat Pole Jerzy Janowicz 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), for a place in the final. — AFP