There will be different names on both Australian Open
singles trophies this year after Victoria Azarenka lost to Agnieszka Radwanska
in the quarter-finals in Melbourne.
Azarenka had won the title for the previous two years and
on both occasions had shared top billing with men's champion Novak Djokovic,
who was looking to claim a fourth straight crown.
Djokovic's hopes were ended on Tuesday when Stanislas
Wawrinka turned the tables in five compelling sets, and on Wednesday Radwanska
produced a tremendous display to defeat Azarenka 6-1 5-7 6-0.
The Pole had lost their last seven matches and 12
straight sets against Azarenka dating back to a quarter-final meeting here two
years ago. But she was on her game from the start while Azarenka could not find
her range.
Radwanska had lost in the quarter-finals for the last
three years, and the fifth seed said: "I have played a couple of
quarter-finals before and I said to myself one day I need to take one step
forward and make the semi-final and final. I'm so, so happy that I did it
finally.
"It was always hard. I have lost so many times
against her before and I knew she was a very great player, very consistent so I
just knew that I had to play my best tennis.
Aggressive
"Play aggressive and go for every shot that I could.
That was what I was trying to do and it worked today."
Radwanska now play Dominika Cibulkova, who followed up
her victory over Maria Sharapova by crushing Simona Halep 6-3 6-0.
Romanian Halep never found her rhythm and world No 24
Cibulkova took just an hour to triumph 6-3 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena.
The 24-year-old Slovakian's only previous grand slam
semi-final came at the French Open in 2009 and she has never made a final.
Her previous best at Melbourne Park had been a
fourth-round appearance in the same year but she carried on the form she had
shown in upsetting third seed Sharapova in the fourth round.
"Of course I'm really glad with the way I played,
especially with the way I handled it mentally," said Cibulkova.
"It was a big win against Maria but I wasn't
favourite in this match against Halep.
"But I walked on the court confident that I could do
it again today. I was so focused on what I had to do.
Culled from Sky Sports
