2013 U.S. Open Preview: Day 12
On Friday, Day 12 of the 2013 U.S. Open, the women take center stage and the singles finals will be set as two semifinals matches highlight the day’s action on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Friday’s forecast is temps in the upper 60s to low 70s with sunny skies throughout and a zero chance of rain. The unseeded Italian Flavia Pennetta takes on the number two seed, Victoria Azarenka in the first semifinals match on Ashe. Immediately following, it will be the number five-seeded Na Li taking on world number one and top-seeded Serena Williams in the second women’s singles match.
Pennetta has been on a tear throughout the past week and a half in Flushing Meadows, taking out the number four seeded Sara Errani, the number 27 seed and former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, number 21 seeded Simona Halep, and her fellow compatriot, the 10th-seeded Roberta Vinci in the quarterfinals. Azarenka comes into the semis, having defeating Daniela Hantuchova in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3 Wednesday night. Although Azarenka currently sits in the number two position in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings, it is the unseeded Pennetta, currently ranked 83rd in the world, who holds a 2-1 head-to-head advantage over Azarenka coming into their semifinals match. Azarenka took the first meeting between the two in 2010 at Stuttgart, a straight sets 6-1, 6-4 victory. But, it has been Pennetta who has taken the last two consecutive victories over Azarenka, in Dubai in 2011, a walkover win at Wimbledon in June.
In the second semifinals match, the top-seeded Serena brings an 8-2 head-to-head record into Friday’s match against Na Li. It will be Li’s first ever semifinals appearance at the U.S. Open, and Serena has beaten Li twice so far in 2013, including a 7-5, 7-5 semifinals win just last month in Cincinnati at the 2013 Western & Southern Open. Li has not dropped a set en route to the quarterfinals where she took out Ekaterina Makarova in three sets to reach the semifinals. It’s Li’s first U.S. Open semifinal and she has been to the semifinals at three of the four Grand Slams, the only one she has missed has been Wimbledon where she is a three-time quarterfinalist. Serena will pull double duty on Friday, as she teams with sister Venus after her semifinals match in a women’s doubles semis match against the fifth-seeded team of Andrea Hlavackova & Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic. Serena hasn’t had much rest as she was in doubles action on Thursday, teaming with her sister Venus in a win over the top-seeded team of Sara Errani & Roberta Vinci in 65 minutes, 6-3, 6-1.
At 11:00 a.m. on Court 8, New Yorker Louisa Chirico, the number 10 seed, faces the second-seeded Ana Konjuh of Croatia in the girl’s junior quarterfinals. On Thursday, it was Chrirco who advanced to the quarters after a win over fellow American, Michaela Gordon, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.
Click here to view the full Day 12 Schedule of Play at the 2013 U.S. Open.
