As it turns out, two semifinalists at the $5,427,105 China Open have been enjoying an additional round of rest.
First it was Ana Ivanovic, who got quick assess to the final four when second seed Simona Halep withdrew with a left hip injury, while today the tournament has lost its top seed, Serena Williams, who opted out of playing her quarterfinal due to a knee injury, providing Samantha Stosur with an easy passage. Stosur’s next opponent will be third seed Petra Kvitova, who recorded a tight 7-6(2) 6-4 victory over Roberta Vinci on Friday.
According to Courtney Nguyen, Serena’s knee hurts most when serving and is also painful when not in motion. She will now fly to Europe to have it checked.
The other Beijing semifinal will feature the ninth-seeded Ivanovic and fourth seed Maria Sharapova, who stormed past Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarters 6-0 6-4.
I have to comment a bit on Serena Williams’ wonderful new look, toned down, but not without an edge. Her US Open leopard dress gave way to a wonderful blue Nike Women’s Winter Burnout Tunic, but if you looked closely you could notice that the white open back features a very subtle version of the same print.
