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Thursday March 28, 2024

Pliskova, Wozniacki book Miami semi-final showdown

By our correspondents
March 30, 2017

MIAMI, Florida: Czech second-seed Karolina Pliskova will face Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals of the Miami Open after the pair triumphed on Tuesday at Key Biscayne.

A confident Pliskova ended the hopes of Croat veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni with a 6-3, 6-4 win while Wozniacki made sure there would be no all-Czech semi by dispatching Lucie Safarova 6-4. 6-3.

Lucic-Baroni has been enjoying a late career upturn in fortunes at the age of 35 and in January reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open - 18 years after her previous appearance in the last four of a Slam, in 1999 at Wimbledon.

In Miami she put out fifth-seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the previous round but the confident and in-form Pliskova proved to be a test too far.

The win was sweet revenge for Pliskova who had lost to the Croat in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January.

“I think I played much better here than in Australia. Also the conditions are different. I think she was also playing better tennis there because it was faster and the conditions a little bit warmer, balls were different,” Pliskova said.

“I think she had some chances in the second set and then the third set you never know what can happen, but I definitely felt more confident with this match today,” she added.

“I had a game plan, little bit different the one that I had in Australia, and it worked. I was just trying to play a little bit more aggressive than I was playing there and going for my shots,” Pliskova said.

The Czech has won twice this season, in Brisbane and Doha, and now has the best win-loss record of the year (23-3).

The 25-year-old’s victory in the Doha final came against Thursday’s (today’s) opponent Wozniacki.

“She beat last time and she has been playing well and is in good shape but I am looking forward to getting a another try out there and see if I can beat her this time,” Wozniacki said.

The Dane is in upbeat mood and says she has been in a groove since her run to the semi-finals at the US Open.

“I am playing well and I think I have been for quite a while, I think the US Open kind of started off this run and I am just going with it,” she said.

“I think the main thing is that I have been healthy for about six months now, I hope I can keep that going,” she said.

Meanwhile, men’s top seed Stan Wawrinka crashed out of after falling 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to German young gun Alexander Zverev, who booked his first Masters 1000 quarter-final.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori advanced to the quarter-finals on cue.

But Wawrinka, beaten by fellow Swiss Federer in the final of Indian Wells earlier this month, looked weary as he struggled through the third set of a match played on his 32nd birthday.

“I had one bad game to start the second set and then it was tough for me,” Wawrinka, the reigning US Open champion, said. “I don’t know. I completely went down physically and mentally, and also my tennis was completely out. I had no more gas.”

The 19-year-old Zverev saved four of five break points and won 75 per cent of his service points.

The German, seeded 16th, will now face Australian Nick Kyrgios, who was impressive in a 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 win over Belgian David Goffin.

Federer had to work hard for his victory against 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, emerging with a 7-6 (7/5) 7-6(7/4) win setting up a last eight meeting with Czech Tomas Berdych, the 10th seed, a 6-3, 7-5 winner over France’s Adrian Mannarino.

The first set was a close and entertaining battle. Bautista broke to go 5-4 up but Federer then won every point in the next two games. The tie-break saw some fantastic tennis from both players but the Swiss delivered at the close.

Nadal beat France’s Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in a tightly fought contest and will face American Jack Sock who comfortably beat his compatriot Jared Donaldson 6-2, 6-1.

The Spaniard, who has never won the Miami title, got the only break of the match to go 5-4 up in the first set and said he expected a strong challenge from Sock.

Second-seed Nishikori, of Japan, survived a second set scare against Argentine Federico del Bonis en route to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.