AEGON International semi-final line-ups set

Written by: Staff on 18th June 2010

AEGON International semi-final line-ups set |

Sam Stosur overcame a spirited challenge by Elena Baltacha to reach the semi-finals at the AEGON International, Victoria Azarenka joining her after scoring an upset victory over tournament No.5 seed Kim Clijsters.

Meanwhile in the men’s draw, No.3 seed Gilles Simon crashed out to fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra, No.7 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov dispatched Great Britain’s James Ward and British doubles stars Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski reached the final of the men’s doubles.

Stosur served 15 aces en route to her 6-7(5) 6-1 6-0 victory over Baltacha and said she was determined to stick to her game plan after dropping the opening set.

“I just tried to do what I had planned to do the whole time and it started to work for me,” said the No.5 seed. “I’ve worked hard on my serve this season but coming up to the grass court season it’s even more important to serve well and today it really started finding the lines.”

World No.7 Stosur faces Ekaterina Makarova in the first match on Centre Court on Friday at 11.30 am, and says she’s looking forward to another hard-fought contest. “Makarova will be tough and I’m really looking forward to it,” she said.

Baltacha acknowledged her top 10 opponent had simply played better on the day.

“You don’t make the final at a Grand Slam for no reason and I knew I would have to play very well even to have a chance,” said Baltacha. “She was too good today. She kept mixing it up and I couldn’t see what she was going to do and it got me in trouble.

“I didn’t serve well and she was taking swings and hitting winners. She played really hot in the second and third sets.”

The British No.1, who is projected to rise to her career-best ranking of No.55 when the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour list is released on Monday, said the AEGON International had set her up beautifully for Wimbledon next week.

“I couldn’t have asked for better preparation for Wimbledon,” said Baltacha. My ranking is going up and I’m aiming for top 50 now. The Wimbledon draw comes out tomorrow and I’m looking forward to seeing who I get. With the way I’m playing and how I’m feeling, why not? I’m feeling confident.”

World No.15 Azarenka (BLR) defeated No.5 seed Clijsters 7-6(6) 6-4.

Azarenka needed nine set points to claim the first set against former champion Clijsters and fought back from 0-4 in the second set to earn a semi-final meeting with Marion Bartoli (FRA).

Clijsters was impressed by her 20-year-old opponent’s form. “It’s hard with her shots to go for the lines,” said Clijsters. “Because her shots are so flat and hard it’s hard to go for the angles.

But she said she was happy with the way her game was shaping up for Wimbledon. “You have to start somewhere and I’m really happy with the first two matches I played here,” she said.

Azarenka said she was looking forward to taking on Bartoli, who beat Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 5-7 6-4 7-6(5). “I think she is a very good player, especially on grass. I think it suits her game really well.

I’ve never played against her on grass and I’m just really looking forward to coming out there and try to show my best tennis again,” said Azarenka of her semi-final against Bartoli, the second match on Centre Court on Friday.

Great Britain’s James Ward put up a valiant fight against No.7 seed Alexandr Dolgopolov Jnr (UKR), before falling 6-3 6-4. World No.342 Ward has enjoyed a successful week at the AEGON International, defeating No.2 seed Feliciano Lopez in the first round and Rainer Schuettler in the second round.

He said he was disappointed that his run at Devonshire Park had come to an end. “I didn’t play as well as I have over the last couple of days. It’s tough to keep up that level, which is why I’m not ranked in the top 50, top 100 at the moment,” said Ward, “but it’s been a good week and I just take the positives and move on from here.”

Dolgopolov Jnr will take on No.8 seed Michael Llodra, who beat No.3 seeded wildcard Gilles Simon 6-1 6-3, in the third match on Centre Court on Friday.

The fourth Centre Court match sees Denis Istomin, who beat fellow Ukrainian Illya Marchenko 6-1 6-4, take on No.5 seed Guillermo Garcia Lopez, who beat No.4 seed Julien Benneteau 4-6 6-3 7-6(2).

Great Britain’s dynamic doubles duo, Colin Fleming and Ken Skupski advanced to the final of the men’s doubles at the AEGON International with a 6-4 6-4 victory over Marcelo Melo (BRA) and Bruno Soares (BRA). They’ll take on Poland’s Davis Cup doubles pairing, Mariusz Fyrstenberg and Marcin Matkowski in Friday’s men’s doubles final, second on Court No.1 (not before 1 pm).

Topics: Aegon, Colin Fleming, Elena Baltacha, Fought Contest, Game Plan, Gilles Simon, Grand Slam, Grass Court, Ken Skupski, Kim Clijsters, Line Ups, Makarova, Michael Llodra, Sam Stosur, Semi Finals, Sony Ericsson Wta Tour, Spirited Challenge, Ups, Whole Time, Wimbledon