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China’s Li Na rolled over Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Miami tournament, where she will face Dominika Cibulkova in a rematch of the Australian Open final.
Second seeded Li posted a 7-5, 7-5 win over 11th seeded Wozniacki, while Cibulkova saved three match points in a gritty three-set victory, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, over third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska on the hard courts at Crandon Park.
The 10th-seeded Cibulkova will break into the top 10 in the world rankings for the first time on the strength of her victory.

	Australia is over. It is past already. Miami is Miami. I am just looking forward for tomorrow

	Li Na
“I knew before the match that this was the match I needed to win to become top 10,” Cibulkova said.
“So it was some more pressure, but I’m obviously very happy with the way I handled it today.”
Cibulkova, who is in the Miami semi-finals for the first time, is winless in six career meetings against Li.
Li beat Cibulkova in the Australian Open final, and also won the rematch in the quarter-finals at Indian Wells earlier this month.
“So many people think about this being a repeat of the final, but it’s not,” Li said.
“Because Australia is over. It is past already. Miami is Miami. I am just looking forward for tomorrow.”
The other semi-final had already been set, with world number one and defending champion Serena Williams due to take on fourth-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova.
American Williams defeated Sharapova last year’s final to capture a sixth Miami title, sending Sharapova to her fifth loss in five finals.

	It’s always tough to play Aga, but I knew I just had to stay aggressive

	Dominika Cibulkova
Cibulkova, who swept past Radwanska 6-1, 6-2 in the semi-finals of the Australian Open, had a bigger fight on her hands on Wednesday on a windy Stadium Court where service holds were at a premium.
Fourteen of the first 18 games of the contest were breaks of serve, with Radwanska finally fending off three break points to hold serve for a 5-4 lead in the second set.
The world number three from Poland had three chances to seal the match in the next game -- most dramatically at 30-40 when her blistering service return was judged long only after a challenge by Cibulkova.
Cibulkova, determined not to go down without a fight, saved two more match points with forehand winners as she held to knot the set at 5-5.
Another exchange of breaks sent them to the tiebreaker, in which Radwanska seized a 5-2 lead, only for Cibulkova to win the next five points to force a third set.
Cibulkova could not hang on to a 2-0 lead in the third, but after Radwanska had levelled the set at 3-3, the Slovakian held for a 4-3 lead and broke again for a 5-3 edge and the chance to serve for the match.
Once again she had to save a string of break points before wrapping up the victory, her 20th match win of a season that has included a run to the WTA title in Acapulco.
“This win really means a lot to me,” Cibulkova said. “It’s always tough to play Aga, but I knew I just had to stay aggressive.”
China’s Li won 63 per cent of her first serve points and 79 of 150 total points in her quarter-final match against Wozniacki which lasted just over two hours.
“She is the best to defend in all the tour,” Li said of Wozniacki. “So I was feeling like a player against a wall. Because it doesn’t matter where it is, she always puts the ball back to my court.
“After I was finished the match, I was feeling, Wow, you are doing good. You beat a wall.”
Wozniacki had a chance to serve out the second set, but lost the final four games to fall to 1-10 all-time against players ranked number one or two in the world.
Wozniacki had won 24 of 26 previous games coming into the match against Li.
Williams is a dominant 15-2 lifetime against Sharapova, including 14 consecutive wins dating back to 2004.


Li Na breezes through quarter-finals in Miami  

Li Na of China in action against Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki in the quarter-finals of the Sony Open in Key Biscayne. Photo: MCT

Sport

China

Chinese second seed rumbles Caroline Wozniacki to set up Australian Open final rematch with Cibulkova 


Li Na breezes through quarter-finals in Miami

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese second seed rumbles Caroline Wozniacki to set up Australian Open final rematch with Cibulkova

Chinese second seed rumbles Caroline Wozniacki to set up Australian Open final rematch with Cibulkova