Venus Williams will be up against Na Li today in what promises to be an incredible Western and Southern Open semi-finalYou can watch and bet on Williams v Li live for free at bet365 > live tennisVenus Williams secured an impressive 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-4 victory over third seed and defending US Open champion Sam Stosur last night at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, making it through to her first semi-final since making a comeback this year. The former world No. 1 has been playing outstanding tennis throughout the week and has held her own, even in the longer matches.
“She played very well - I have to give her credit for that,” said Williams of Stosur. “In tie-breakers you just have to play one point at a time, and today I let it get away from me. Once that happens, you just have to move on. That's pretty much it. And that's why there's three sets in tennis - it had to be decided in the third. I didn't realize I was going to be that excited when I won. Of course under the circumstances, serving it out 6-4 in the third, it was very exciting.”
Venus is hoping that her form in Cincinnati is a sign of things to come. “In a lot of my quarterfinals I fell short and couldn't play my best. I'd like to think this is only the beginning for me of more semifinals. Of course I'm going to stay focused and try to make it a final as well. I'd like to take it a lot further. But I haven't played a lot since 2010 - this is awesome for me already.”
Venus will now meet former French Open champ Na Li in the final four. Li is in formidable form in this event. After beating Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-2 in her first contest yesterday she went on to thrash top seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-1, 6-1.
“Of course I was tired but in my mind I was feeling strong, and I felt I could win both matches,” remarked Li. “I did the same in Montréal last week, same schedule, so I was confident I could do it again. But right now I really just want to sleep!”
Li holds a 2-0 head to head record against Williams and she seems to be the stronger player at this moment in time. Still, both of these competitors are renowned for their will to win, and we can perhaps anticipate a close match.
