Australia's Stosur rallies to claim SF spot at Hong Kong Open, Venus Williams also in final four
Former US Open champion regroups against Briton Heather Watson to set up semi-final with Angelique Kerber while Venus Williams heads for showdown with Jelena Jankovic
Australia's Samantha Stosur shook off the errors to produce an emphatic finish in her quarter-final against Britain's Heather Watson to progress to the last four of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open yesterday.
A shock seemed to be on the cards when world No 61 Watson took the first set 6-4. And when the 23-year-old moved into a 3-1 lead in the second set, the tournament's first major upset looked like it was unfolding.
WATCH: Highlights of Sam Stosur's quarter-final match
But Stosur had other ideas. Her game had been littered with unforced errors until that point, but she suddenly ripped back, winning 11 games on the trot to destroy Watson's hopes, running out a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 victor and setting up a date with Angelique Kerber in the semi-finals.
"From a set and 3-1 down, I really picked it up," said Stosur. "I remember hitting a winner on a return and at that point telling myself, 'That's it'. I didn't play bad up until that point, but it was like something clicked for me and all of a sudden I moved better and played extremely well."
The 31-year-old is now eyeing her third tour victory of the season and is confident going into the match with Kerber, over whom she holds a 3-2 head-to-head advantage.
"I've played Angie [Kerber] numerous times and won and lost. I know Angie's trying to make the [WTA Finals] so she's going to be fired up."
It was like something clicked for me and all of a sudden I moved better and played extremely well
Later, second-seeded Kerber edged out up-and-coming Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia 7-5, 6-3 in a battling and highly entertaining match.
After narrowly losing a tight opening set, Garcia clung on in a gripping climax to the second stanza, saving three match points at 5-3 down against the German, before eventually succumbing in just under two hours.
"Caroline is a great player and I knew before the match that it was going to be a tough one," said Kerber. "We both played very well and it was a very good match for the both of us, but in the end I'm happy to have won."
Kerber, the highest-ranked player in Hong Kong this week at number nine, is aiming to secure her fifth title of the season and is now all but assured of her place on the roster at the WTA Finals in Singapore, although a win here will make it a certainty. She said she was preparing for another close battle with Stosur.
"I know it will be another tough match. She's a great player and she's been playing well in the last few months. Also I've had a few tough battles with her in the past so I must be ready."
Elsewhere, American Venus Williams booked her semi-final spot without breaking sweat as she saw off a woefully out-of-sorts Alize Cornet 6-1, 6-1 in front of a heaving centre court.
Cornet was undone by a series of unforced errors and while seven-time major champion Williams has grown into her task as the week has gone on, she was rarely made to move out of first gear to advance past the Frenchwoman. As Williams sent a rasping ace crashing past her at 4-1 down in the second set, a frustrated Cornet's race was run.
"I think I played really well, and we had some tough games that I was able to win, which helped there not to be big momentum swings," said Williams. "That helped me keep the momentum and more confidence."
Williams is now one win away from moving into the top eight on the Road to Singapore leader board and extending her season, but the seven-time grand slam winner laughed off any suggestion of added pressure with the prospect of the end-of-season championships looming.
"I've been under a lot of pressure in my career. Playing big moments - not just for myself, but also in doubles with my sister."
In last night's other quarter-final, Jelena Jankovic defeated Russia's Daria Gavrilova 6-1, 6-1 to set up a semi-final showdown with old rival Williams.
