AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Venue: Melbourne Park Date: 19 January-1 February
Coverage: BBC Red Button, Radio 5 Live sports extra, BBC Sport website (Red Button coverage streamed on website throughout fortnight)

Williams fought back to win with the arena roof closed

Second seed Serena Williams produced a gritty display to defeat Svetlana Kuznetsova on Rod Laver Arena and reach the Australian Open semi-finals.

The American beat the Russian eighth seed 5-7 7-5 6-1 on Wednesday to set up a semi-final against Elena Dementieva.

Fourth seed Dementieva beat surprise package Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-2.

Both ties were affected by searing heat in Melbourne, with officials opting to close the Rod Laver Arena roof midway through the Williams-Kuznetsova tie.

The turning-point in the match came just after Kuznetsova had taken the opening set with the on-song Russian enduring a 30-minute break for the roof closure.

With temperatures topping 43C and Williams wobbling, the American admitted: "I was in a lot of trouble but I relaxed and I really wanted to fight, to at least go three sets.

"It was really an out-of-body experience. It was like I felt I was watching someone play in a blue dress, and it wasn't me, because it was so hot out there."

Despite the heat, 23-year-old Kuznetsova insisted she had been "very comfortable" playing with the roof open, and said closing the roof had led to a "big change" in the game.

606: DEBATE It's down to the semis. I will back Serena in 3 sets where Serena may have to pull out of the jaws of defeat again thetennisinsaniac

She added she had been "angry" to be brought off court: "Why should I not be? The game was going my way. Everybody was playing without the roof. Why did they have to close it today?"

Williams treated the crowd to the latest in what is becoming a production line of remarkable comebacks, having given Kuznetsova the chance to serve for the match in the second set.

But both players began unsteadily, each losing their serve in unimpressive fashion.

Kuznetsova will have been particularly frustrated with her start, brilliantly breaking serve but losing concentration in the aftermath as Williams fought back to assume a 3-2 lead.

However, the Russian recovered to win the ninth game in some style, breaking an uncharacteristically shaky Williams serve and soon took the first set.

Then came the break for the roof closure. With the cooling conditions, an improvement in the quality of play from both players was immediately noticeable, but particularly from Williams as she fired down her first ace of the match.

The second set went with serve until the seventh game, where Williams faced down two break points before Kuznetsova's well-placed cross-court shot forced her opponent to hammer the ball into the net.

Kuznetsova had the opportunity to serve for the match, but Williams once more dug deep to convert her third break point as the Russian's nerves took over.

Kuznetsova tries to stay cool in the heat of Melbourne

The American then found some of her old energy and enthusiasm, first easily holding serve before wrapping up the second set with a delighted scream.

Williams cranked up the pressure as the heat subsided with the roof closed and Kuznetsova, beaten in all but one of her five previous meetings with Williams, lost her composure in the fourth game.

That, coupled with Kuznetsova's failure to take advantage of two break points in the following game, marked the effective end of her resistance.

Playing earlier with the roof open, unseeded Suarez Navarro looked shell-shocked in the conditions as Dementieva raced to a 4-0 first-set lead on the Rod Laver Arena.

The 20-year-old, who had never previously faced Dementieva, finally snapped into life to hold her serve in the fifth game.

But in a mammoth sixth game, which involved 11 deuces, Suarez Navarro squandered five break points.

Though the rejuvenated Spaniard subsequently held her serve again, Dementieva made her four-game advantage pay as she served out for the set.

Following a lengthy interval for the players to cool down, Dementieva pushed on, though she was far from dominant.

Both the heat and the Russian proved unforgiving and, though the world number 46 looked increasingly competitive, Dementieva ultimately cruised to victory.

"It gets much hotter on the centre court so I'm glad to have won in two sets," said Dementieva.

"The key for the match was to have a good start. She's a very solid baseline player and the plan was to go to the net, be aggressive and finish the point as quick as possible.

"It was a very tough, physical game and I played really well in the important points, when it was 4-1 in the first set."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version