Azarenka to Meet Pennetta in Women’s Semis After Convincing Win Over Hantuchova

In Wednesday action at the 2013 U.S. Open, it was the second-seeded Victoria Azarenka advancing to the women’s singles semifinals with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"It was a little bit tricky with the wind, and Daniela is the kind of player who doesn’t give you rhythm, so you have to try to make it happen in one or two shots in the beginning," Azarenka said. "There weren’t many long rallies, which can make it difficult to get into the match, but I felt like I was really good in the important moments. I raised my level when I needed to, which was the key to this match."

Azarenka had 17 winners, 15 unforced errors, and seven out of 11 break points won on the night.

"I’m very disappointed with the performance, because I know what I can do and how I can play,” said Hantuchova. “I was going into the match feeling confident about my chances, but it just didn’t work out for me today."

Azarenka will next face the unseeded Italian Flavia Pennetta, a 6-4, 6-1 upset winner Wednesday afternoon over her fellow Italian, Roberta Vinci, the number 10 seed. Vinci, who was playing her third straight Italian, defeated Karin Knapp and Camila Giorgi along the way, finished with 28 unforced errors and capitalized on only two of her five break-point chances.

"At the end of the first set, I knew I had to start being more aggressive, and my serve was working really well today, so that helped me a lot," Pennetta said. "And it was really difficult to play Roberta too … it’s never easy to play against one of your best friends on the tour.”

Although Azarenka currently sits in the number two position in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings, it is Pennetta, currently ranked 83rd in the world, who holds a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over Azarenka coming into their semifinals match.

The other women’s semifinals match will feature the top-seeded and defending U.S. Open champ Serena WIlliams taking on the number five seed, Na Li of China.