Indian Wells: Li Na needed 11 match points to put away Aleksandra Wozniak and book an Indian Wells clash with Dominika Cibulkova, the woman she beat in the Australian Open final.
China`s Li, the world number two and top seed in the $12 million combined ATP and WTA tournament, defeated Canada`s Wozniak 6-1, 6-4 yesterday to secure her quarter-final berth. She steamed through the opening set in 32 minutes, but needed another hour to finally wrap up the second set against a player whose ranking has tumbled to 241st as she was sidelined by injury.
All 11 of Li`s match points came in the final game, with two break points for Wozniak mixed in.
"Welcome to the crazy women`s tennis tour," Li said. "The funny thing is, beginning of the game I was feeling tight, nervous, and then I was feeling like what`s going on? Why can`t I finish the match?"
"But she never gave up, she tried to defend every point. Yeah, it was a little bit tedious in the last game."
Four of Li`s nine double faults came in the final game, and she lost her cool briefly when a successful challenge of a line call brought not a point awarded -- on her third match point -- but a replay of the point.
"I was really angry, because I saw I won the point," she said. "But suddenly I heard `Replay`.
"I was like, `Replay? What are you talking about?`"
Li lost the replayed point and the game went to the first of 10 deuces. "At least I`m still in the tournament," Li said. "I still can smile." Cibulkova defeated eighth-seeded Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-2, and Li said she wouldn`t be taking anything for granted against the Slovak.
"Last win (against her) doesn`t mean anything because I see she played well here. For me it`s always a tough match to play against her." Jelena Jankovic ended her skid against Denmark`s Caroline Wozniacki to set up a quarter-final meeting with second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.
Jankovic, seeded seventh, defeated 10th-seeded Wozniacki 6-3, 6-1 in a battle of former world number ones.
In a rematch of the 2010 final in the California desert won by Jankovic, the seventh-seeded Serbian showed no signs of the back trouble that required several visits from the trainer during her third-round victory over Magdalena Rybarikova on Sunday.
"Yesterday I was a little bit scared," Jankovic said of the pain that began when she wrenched her back on a point early in the match against Rybarikova. "If I had to play yesterday, I probably wouldn`t be able to go on court."
Since her 2010 triumph here, Jankovic had dropped five straight decisions to Wozniacki.
Radwanska advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over France`s Alize Cornet. Italian qualifier Camila Giorgi, who shocked defending champion Maria Sharapova in the third round, couldn`t maintain her momentum, falling 6-2, 6-1 to compatriot Flavia Pennetta.
Sixth-seeded Romanian Simona Halep reached the last eight with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 victory over rising Canadian star Eugenie Bouchard. Halep will face Australian qualifier Casey Dellacqua, who advanced on a walkover when American Lauren Davis withdrew with a stomach ailment.
AFP
First Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2014, 14:07
