4th September, 2013
Serena Williams, the top-ranked defending champion, inflicted the most lopsided US Open women’s quarter-final defeat in 24 years on birthday-girl Carla Suarez Navarro to reach a semi-final against China’s Li Na.
Williams routed the 18th-seeded Spaniard 6-0, 6-0 in just 52 minutes on Tuesday, Suarez Navarro’s 25th birthday, to reach a match-up on Friday with Li, the 2011 French Open champion who ousted Russian 24th seed Ekaterina Makarova.
Williams, the reigning French Open champion and a 16-time grand slam winner seeking her fifth US Open crown and ninth title of the year, has dropped only 13 games in five wins on her way to the semis for a fifth US Open appearance in a row.
Asked if this was her most dominant US Open performance, Williams said, “I guess so. I haven’t thought about it yet. I’m still in the tournament and I’m not thinking about, like, ‘I’m really dominant now.’
“I’m just thinking, ‘OK, I just have a really tough match in the next round and I really want to do well.”
Meanwhile, Li became China’s first player to reach the US Open semi-finals, another breakthrough on the court for the woman who delivered Asia’s first grand slam singles title at the 2011 French Open.
Li Na who earned her first spot in an U.S. Open semifinal with a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 win over No. 24-seed Ekaterina Makarova, will gladly step up to the net and take next, hoping to avenge her straight sets loss to Williams in last month’s Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
“At least I have two days off to prepare,” said Li, who is 1-8 lifetime against Williams, her only victory coming in a 2008 match on clay in Stuggart. “It’s tough, tough opponent. I know it.
“I always try to be the first one,” Li said. “Of course it was exciting. I was really proud of myself because it’s the last grand slam of the year, but I’m still fighting a lot on the court to try my best.”