Serena Williams sets up a date with Sara Errani in semi-finals – Roland Garros 2013
Top seed, Serena Williams, will take on last year’s runner-up, Sara Errani, in the semi-finals of the French Open 2013. The American icon rallied past the former world number three, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in a three-set thriller,
whereas the Italian number one trashed the fourth seed, Agnieszka Radwanska, with a 6-4, 7-6(6) victory at this Major clay court event held in Paris.
The world number one, Williams, lost her track in the second set but stayed calm. She lifted her game in the end and after reeling off last six games, the American progressed into the round of four.
Williams showed her true class at the start of the match. She got the coveted break in the second game to cruise to a 3-0 lead. After Kuznetsova came on the score sheet for the first time in the fourth game, the American stroke
out last three games and pocketed the opener with a breadstick.
Ranked 39th in the WTA Premier Rankings, Kuznetsova changed her strategy in the following set. She went on a four-game killing spree before Williams could break back. The Russian exchanged another break and subsequently
sealed the equaliser by winning six games to three.
In the decisive set, Williams re-gained her strength. She suffered the first blow in the opening game to fall back at 0-2. However, the American went berserk and wiped out five games in a row. She held her serve once again and
bagged the decider with a 6-3 win.
Williams will face off the Italian top ranked star for a chance to reach the title-round.
"We had a pretty tough match in Madrid - I'm glad I played her in Madrid because I know she's here to play and she's here to compete," Williams commented about his next match in a post match interview. "She's so serious. I can
be ready for that."
Seeded fifth in this event, Errani fended off the late resistance from the Polish number one. As a result, she avenged her loss at the WTA championships in Istanbul last season and lowered the trail in their head-to-head series
by 2-5.
Errani drew the first blood in the third game and took the initial lead. Apart from squandering her edge in the very next game, the Italian stayed focused. She got the breakthrough in the seventh game and clicked the opener with
a 6-4 win.
Errani held her composure in the proceeding set. The Italian was trailing 1-3 before she found her rhythm and got back on track. The set went to a tie-breaker where Errani edged past the Polish number one and clinched the set with
a 7-6(6) score line.
The Italian reflected about her upcoming battle in a post match presser, "It's for sure going to be very difficult, because she's very strong, and physically she's an incredible athlete. She has a lot of power and it's never easy
to play against her. But maybe clay is a bit better than the other surfaces for me."
The American veteran currently leads 5-0 in the head-to-head series against Errani. The contenders previously met each other in the final four at Mutua Madrid Open last month. Williams jolted down an impressive 7-5, 6-2 victory
against Errani. With her current run of form, the American star is expected to record a 7-5, 7-6(3) victory against the 26-year-old.
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