Wozniak cruises into semis

 

Originally published on: 26/02/10 12:08

The fifth seed needed just 68 minutes to dispatch Voskoboeva 6-2 6-2 as she moved within one win of becoming the first Canadian to reach the Challenge Bell final in the event’s 15-year history.

The Blainville, Quebec native has surged from 147th to 37th in the rankings over the course of this year and became the first Canadian in 20 years to win a WTA singles title when she captured the Bank of the West Classic in July.

The woman standing in Wozniak’s path to the finals is sixth seed Bethanie Mattek, who defeated fellow American Melanie Oudin 7-6 (9/7) 6-1 to edge a step closer to her maiden WTA final.

While Wozniak is the clear fan favourite, top seed Nadia Petrova remains the leading contender to hoist the championship trophy on Sunday.

The world number 11 continued to steamroll her way through the draw with a 6-1 6-4 quarter-final victory over Hungary’s Melinda Czink.

The 26-year-old Russian has not dropped a set this week, losing just 14 games in her three victories.

Petrova will face American lucky loser Angela Haynes, who posted a hard-fought 2-6 7-6 (7/2) 6-3 victory over Nathalie Dechy of France in the quarter-finals.

The 189th-ranked Haynes only made the main draw after Italy’s Flavia Pennetta pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons.

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