Victoria Azarenka hammered Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia by 6-2 6-3 to join with other 31-year-olds in the semi-finals of the US Open on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old Belarusian, who is the second seed and runner-up last year, will play against unseeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy. Notably, Pennetta reached her first grand slam semi-final on Wednesday by getting the better of longtime friend as well as Fed Cup team mate the 10th-seeded 30-year-old Roberta Vinci by 6-4 6-1.
On the other side, defending champion Serena Williams will clash with Li Na of China in semi-finals on Friday.
On the men's side, second seed Rafael Nadal overpowered fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo by 6-0 6-2 6-2 to improve his hardcourt record to 20-0. Subsequently, Nadal will lock horns with Richard Gasquet of France, who will be playing in the semi-final stage of a slam for the first time since Wimbledon in 2007.
Azarenka remarked that she is a baby and what can she say. For her, it is amazing to see such great players in the semi-finals. Moreover, the victory pushed Australian Open champion Azarenka one step closer to a probable Arthur Ashe Stadium rematch versus Williams for the title.
She commented that it is amazing to see athletes doing so well, their careers longer so that the fans and they can enjoy their careers much better. She described that everybody looks much fitter, truly taking care of their body and carrying the sport to the next level.
Nadal, who has returned from knee injuries that kept him away for seven months to win nine tournaments including his eighth French Open for his 12th grand slam crown, was filled with joy after squashing another rival at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Moreover, eighth-seeded Gasquet reserved his long awaited return to the final four of the men's slam with a 6-3 6-1 4-6 2-6 6-3, while upset of fourth seed David Ferrer of Spain. In fact, it was the 2nd successive five-setter for the 27-year-old Gasquet, who finally clinched the concluding set of a marathon 4th-round match against Canadian Milos Raonic by 7-5. Particularly, Gasquet had lost eight out of nine previous matches against Ferrer. Further, the hill could be even steeper against Nadal, who has won all 10 of their professional clashes.
While playing just the 2nd grand slam quarter-final of his career, 27-year-old Gasquet faced Ferrer, by using his trademark one-handed backhand to near perfection, as he closed him out in 3 hours and 23 minutes. In fact, Gasquet broke the Spaniard, on a double fault at break point for a 4-2 lead in the 5th set. Then, he concluded it with a bristling forehand for his 52nd winner.
