Angelique Kerber reigns supreme over Li Na in the quarter-finals – BNP Paribas Open
German tennis starlet, Angelique Kerber does it again at the hard courts of California. She ousted the Chinese tennis ace, Li Na, in the quarter-final of the BNP Paribas Open to move into the last four. She dumped her in straight
sets 6-4, 6-2.
The 19th ranked German registered an upset in an hour and 23 minutes. Li was unable to explore her classic form she displayed in the fourth round against Klara Zakopalova. It was the fourth face-off between the two players
and Kerber registered her first triumph on Wednesday. Earlier, it was all about the eighth ranked Chinese superstar who won three encounters in 2010 including the third round battle in AEGON Classic, e-Boks Danish Open two months later before reigning supreme
over the German in straight sets during the China Open.
Li commenced the match with a serve hold and so did her rival. No drama was witnessed in the following two games and the scores tickled over to 2-2. The Chinese superstar was pressurized by the German in the fifth game that ended
up in a breakpoint for Kerber. She held her serve to consolidate her position.
An exchange of breakthroughs kept the German’s lead intact. Li was under pressure in the ninth game as well but managed to sneak a serve hold that kept the set alive for her. The scores progressed to 5-4 in favour of Kerber.
The German served the final game of the set. She was under the cosh for a long time. An immense amount of pressure was exerted that created a couple of opportunities for a breakthrough for the Chinese but she failed to convert
both of them.
Kerber won 37 points in total in the opening set and clasped the win with a difference of just five points.
A trade of breakpoints started the second set with immense intensity at both ends. The German broke serve again in the fifth game and to diminish all chances of a comeback, broke serve for the third time in the seventh game. She
won 33 points in the second half of the match and allowed just 21 rallies to be bagged by her opponent.
Kerber takes on the unbeaten for 21 games, the world number one, Victoria Azarenka, in the semi-finals.
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