After Tuesday’s quarterfinals, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki make up the first semifinal pair of the 2016 US Open.
The second-seeded Kerber struggled in the first set against last year’s surprise finalist Roberta Vinci, but then bageled the Italian in the second set to become the first member of the final four at the final Grand Slam of the season.
The seventh-seeded Vinci went up a break three times in the opening set, but Kerber always managed to catch up, never allowing her opponent to hold onto the lead. As the set was coming to a close, it was Kerber who made the decisive break, avoiding a tiebreak by winning the twelfth game. Drained from losing the first set after leading by a break so many times, Vinci’s tank emptied and the Italian wouldn’t win a single game in the second set. The 7-5 6-0 defeat will push Vinci out of the Top 10.
The former world No.1 Wozniacki, currently ranked No.74, got past Anastasija Sevastova 6-0 6-2 and progressed into her first Grand Slam semifinal since finishing runner-up at the 2014 US Open. After two Top 10 victories, over Svetlana Kuznetsova and Madison Keys earlier in the tournament, Wozniacki recorded a straightforward victory over the Latvian, who rolled her ankle just two minutes into the match.
Wednesday will see the second pair of women’s singles quarterfinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium: Ana Konjuh vs. Karolina Pliskova and Serena Williams vs. Simona Halep.
