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19 March 2024

Dubai Tennis: Wozniacki, Errani, Vinci enter semi-finals

Australia's Samantha Stosur returns the ball to Italy's Roberta Vinci in the quarter final tennis match of the WTA Dubai Open on February 21, 2013. (AFP)

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By Ajanta Paul

Eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki secured her place in the semi-finals with a 4-6 6-1 6-4 victory over Marion Bartoli.

Both players' had difficulty with their serve throughout the two-hour-and-33-minute match, and was best underlined in the first set when Wozniacki broke Bartoli three times only to lose four games on her own serve, and thus the set.

Wozniacki forced herself back in the match as Bartoli's first serve collapsed. She judged the dilly-dallying situation and made the breakthrough to go 4-2 up from where she finished her opponent off, despite, inevitably, losing another break of serve.

There's going to be at least one Italian in the finals of the Dubai Duty Free Championship as Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani face each other in the semi-finals.

Unseeded Roberta Vinci convincingly defeated seventh seeded Samantha Stosur 6-2 6-4.

Stosur struggled right from the start; opened the first set with a double fault and went on to lose the game. Too many unforced errors in the very first set and Vinci continued her domination. She broke Stosur twice, managed to hold her games and went on to win the first set convincingly.

Unforced error was the highlight of the first set and both the players did their bit.

However, it was role reversal in the second set as Stosur broke early. Strong forearm and a stronger serve saw Stosur gaining confidence.

After Vinci served out the first set Stosur staged a brief fight back in the second to lead 2-0. But Vinci immediately broke back and a further break for 4-3 left her firmly in control.

Fifth seed Sara Errani managed to reach the semifinals after losing the second-set 6-love to Russia’s Nadia Petrova. In a rollercoaster match Errani won 6-4, 0-6, 6-3.

Errani looked to be in total control of her game in the first set. However, in the second set, Petrova took charge of the match and fired up some brilliant shots. Errani had no reply to this attack and succumb to a 6-0 whitewash.

But Errani played some positive game and held on to her nerves. She bounced back winning the decisive set.

Sara Errani set a semi-final date with her doubles partner Roberta Vinci. "“We know each other very well. The good thing here is that at least one Italian will be in the final for sure (smiling). (For me) It will be just another match and I will try not to think that it is against her [Vinci],” Errani said.

“Normally she’s with me on my side of the net and not on the other side. So to see her on the other side is tough because one of us will have to lose. So for that, it will be tough. I don’t know, but this is just a tennis match. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and that’s it. You try to play the best you can on the court and that’s it.”