Brussels: Wozniacki, Zvonareva Reach Semis

Wozniacki advances after Wickmayer's abandon

The main favorite Caroline Wozniacki has advanced into the Belgian semi finals after Yanina Wickmayer left the court in a cry due to a back injury.

The Belgian pulled over early in the first set at 0-2 down, and left the court while wiping her tears. World champion’s next opponent is Francesca Schiavone who also reached the last four after knocking Ayumi Morita 6-2, 6-3. “To see Yanina hurting on the other side with Roland Garros coming up next week, it’s not fun to win that way. But I’m looking forward to the semifinals now. Francesca will be a good challenge for me tomorrow.”

Wozniacki leads the head to head series with Schiavone 3-2, her last victory dating from the 2011 Australian open. On the other side, world number five Italian won the first two meetings, last occasion at the 2010 French Open. The two will meet for the first time in a semi final. En route to the semi final, the Dane, winner of this year’s Dubai, Indian Wells and Charleston events, won just one game, beating Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 7-6 in the second round.

As for Schiavone, the Italian grabbed two straight-set victories over Tsvetana Pironkova and Irina Falconi. The third favorite knocked the Bulgarian 6-2, 7-5 in the opener, while the second round brought her a 6-4, 6-4 win over the American. Schiavone hasn’t won any title so far this season, but is expected to break through tomorrow. “I’ll have to play really well to beat her. I’ll need to run a lot, but it’s okay – it’s my job,” said Schiavone of tomorrow’s clash.

The same day, second favorite Vera Zvonareva, who is chasing her second title of the year after the Doha success, ousted Romania’s Alexandra Dulgheru in two easy sets, 6-0, 6-1 to set an eighth meeting with Shuai Peng. The Chinese has made the progress into the quarter finals after easing past Sofia Arvidsson, who had stunned Jelena Jankovic in the second round, whom she defeated 6-2, 6-4.

Zvonareva, who had also defeated Galina Voskoboeva previously, leads the head to head series with Peng 7-0, having last defeated her at this year’s Pattaya City event. The Chinese has dropped just one set this week, in the first round when Peng needed three sets to pass Kirsten Flipkens whom she finally eliminated 6-0, 1-6, 6-3. Zvonareva, too, dropped a set against Voskoboeva whom she ousted in the end 2-6, 6-4, 6-3.11