Ivanovic, Hantuchova, Peng, and Lisicki Move to Birmingham Semifinals

By Matt Hursh
Photo Credit: Mark and Natasha Peterson/ Corleve

(June 10, 2011) The semifinals are set at the AEGON Classic in Birmingham, England, and the remaining matchups are full of big names and plenty of intrigue.

The tournament has featured plenty of upsets, but the big names have by and large found a way to advance.

Second seeded Ana Ivanovic, a former world No. 1 player, posted a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Mirjana Lucic to advance to the semis on Friday.

Ivanovic started the match playing clean tennis, winning the first set without facing a single break point. While she ran into more trouble in the second set, the Serb was able to break Lucic in three of her five service games to clinch her semifinal berth.

On the same side of the draw, fourth seeded Daniela Hantuchova also did her part, knocking off American Alison Riske 6-2, 6-4 in just over 90 minutes.

Like Ivanovic, her semifinal opponent, Hantuchova played clean tennis on Friday, winning her first st with having to fight off a break point. The Slovakian lost her serve just once in the match and used her powerful groundstrokes to outclass the American on the grass at Birmingham.

Ivanovic and Hantuchova, both top 30 players, have now advanced without dropping a set, setting up a marquee semifinal match between two of the bigger names in the tournament.

On the other side of the draw, third seeded Shuai Peng pulled out a close three set win over Marina Erakovic.

Peng, who is ranked 20 th in the world won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 against Erakovic, who proved herself to be a tough out in Birmingham.

Erakovic was ranked outside the top 150 going into the tournament, but knocked off two seeded players, Yaroslava Shvedova and Sara Errani, in the first WTA tournament where she has won a match this year.

Peng will now play unseeded German Sabine Lisicki, who continued her hot streak in Birmingham by prevailing over 14th seeded Magdalena Rybarikova 7-6 (1), 6-4.

Lisicki has been the surprise of the tournament, using her big serve and groundstrokes to move through to the semifinals. She has now won four consecutive matches in Birmingham in straight sets, and she must be brimming with confidence after nearly beating Vera Zvonareva at the French Open.

Semifinal play will begin on Saturday with Hantuchova and Ivanovic taking Centre Court, while the match-up between Lisicki and Peng will commence after their match finishes.