Stosur Subdues Li, Qualifies For Semis
By James Waterson
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Photo Credit: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images
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(October 28, 2011) US Open champion Samantha Stosur advanced to the semifinals of the WTA Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, after she dominated fifth-ranked Li Na 6-1, 6-0 Friday.
Stosur started the match with a strong hold, and then broke Li’s serve to love after the French Open champion made several unforced errors.
The Australian broke again to reach 4-0, and then played a sloppy game to drop her serve.
The temporary setback didn’t bother Stosur, as she broke for a third time and then served out the set.
Stosur then ran off the next six games and wrapped up the match after one hour and six minutes.
The US Open champion played a relatively clean match, as she hit 15 winners to 22 unforced errors and broke serve six times. Meanwhile, Li hit only four winners to a staggering 32 unforced errors.
Stosur’s win comes one day after her disappointing 6-2, 6-2 loss to Victoria Azarenka, who finished first in the white group.
"I'm very happy with the way I played. To come back from a disappointing loss in my last match and do this is great," Stosur said in an on-court interview. "Making it to the semifinals here last year will help me. I've learned a lot from all my previous experiences, so I'm hoping this year will be different."