The world’s top four in the semifinals, Barthel and Kerber out
Thrilling matches of the highest class, narrow wins and a historical dimension: it needed 10 hours and 10 minutes of non-stop world class tennis before the fourth and final player was finally through to the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. Three of the four matches in the sold-out Porsche Arena went to three sets and only the last quarterfinal was a comparatively quick affair. In Saturday’s semifinals in the Porsche Arena, the world’s top four players will be competing for prize money totalling 740,000 dollars and the Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet for the winner.
The world’s top four players in the semifinals at a tournament – the last time it happened was in Wimbledon in 2009. After beating Germany’s Mona Barthel, Victoria Azarenka (the world number one) will meet Agnieszka Radwanska (No. 4) who defeated Na Li. The second encounter in the penultimate round will be between Maria Sharapova (No. 2), who overcame Samantha Stosur, and Petra Kvitova (No. 3) who downed Angelique Kerber, the last German.
Mona Barthel didn’t appear overly disappointed. And she did not have any reason to be. Her match against the world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka contained almost three hours of thrilling and outstanding tennis. The spectators in the sold-out Porsche Arena were enthralled by powerful, calm and carefree performance of 2012’s shooting star against the world’s most successful player at the moment. “It was a super tournament for me,” said Mona Barthel, who was also delighted with the crowd support she received: “The atmosphere is unique here,” she continued. Backed by the fans, she dug deep against the Belarusian and kept clawing her way back into the match with an array of unbelievable shots. Five-four down in the third set, she even saved a match point. “I can build upon my performance today,” she said.
Victoria Azarenka and Mona Barthel have met three times this year already – and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix’s No. 1 seed came out on top on each occasion. Recently in Indian Wells she only won narrowly after a third set tie-break. The encounter in the Porsche Arena was another touch and go affair. Barthel, the world No. 35, played excellent tennis especially when behind and under pressure. “She plays even better when she’s down,” praised Victoria Azarenka. “She’s also got a great serve and played two fantastic matches at her home tournament. It’ll give her extra confidence.”
Victoria Azarenka will now face Pole Agnieszka Radwanska in the semis. The world No. 4 from Cracow overcame Na Li from China. The match between the two was hard-fought but the 23-year-old Pole eventually came out on top 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 against the 2011 French Open champion. Things will be more difficult for her in the last four. They have gone head to head four times this season and Azarenka has won on each occasion. The last one in Indian Wells ended in an easy 6-0, 6-2 win.
The two will have probably already been asleep by the time Maria Sharapova closed out her quarterfinal match against Samantha Stosur after exactly three hours, 6-7, 7-6, 7-5. It can hardly get any tighter and also not much more exciting. The world No. 2 from Russia took a while to find her way into the game on clay, a surface she is not quite so familiar with. The Australian’s kick serve in particular was causing the three-time Grand Slam winner problems. “Sam’s gotten used to clay and has a big serve,” said the 25-year-old. After losing the first set and with Samantha Stosur on match point, it didn’t look as if Sharapova would remain in the hunt for the title on her Stuttgart debut. But the Russian is a great fighter: “You should never start thinking, ‘what if when I lose the point’. I was given a second life.” And eventually victory. Sharapova took the second set in a tie-break and then the third 7-5. “Now I want to show the crowd some more great tennis tomorrow,” she said.
In the second semifinal on Saturday she will meet Petra Kvitova. The Czech powered her way past Angelique Kerber from the Porsche Team Germany in only 65 minutes 6-4, 6-4. Compared to the day‘s other encounters, it felt like a lightning win. The Wimbledon champion needed a break per set to take the match in front of a still well-filled hall just before midnight. “I had a few chances in the first set but I couldn’t use them,” said Kerber who continued, “She served better than I did and it made all the difference.”
Please note: the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix photo library, a part of the Porsche Press Data Bank, is available to all accredited journalists at the internet address http://presse.porsche.de
