Safina slays another
A day after she beat top-seeded Justine Henin, Dinara Safina beat arguably the player playing the best on tour right now. Safina defeated Serena Williams 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(5) in the quarterfinals at Berlin this morning. Coming into this match, Williams was sporting a 21-1 record and hadn’t lost a match since the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. For Safina, this was not only her first win over Serena in her career, but it is the first time she has reached a semifinal of a tournament in 2008.
Safina’s opponent in the semis will be Victoria Azarenaka, someone she has never faced. The unseeded Azarenka upset #15 Alona Bondarenko 7-6(2), 6-2. This is Azarenka’s first career Tier I semifinal appearance, and the third time she has reached at least the semis of a tournament this year. Last week, she lost in the finals at Prague to Vera Zvonareva in straight sets.
With Henin and Serena now out, the new favorite has to be second-seeded Ana Ivanovic. Last year’s French Open runner-up will play #10 Agnes Szavay later today. The two have never faced each other before.
