ID :
42997
Thu, 01/29/2009 - 14:20
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/42997
The shortlink copeid
Dementieva to play Serena in semi-final
Serena Williams survived a heat-induced "out of body experience" before beating Svetlana Kuznetsova on Wednesday, preventing an unprecedented all-Russian women's semi-final line-up at the Australian Open.
Kuznetsova looked on course for a showdown with Elena Dementieva after winning the
first set of her quarter-final against the second-seeded Williams on another
brutally hot day in Melbourne.
But the American No.2 seed caught a lucky break when tournament referee Wayne
McKewen invoked the Extreme Heat Policy as the mercury soared above 40 degrees
Celsius before peaking at 43.2 degrees in mid-afternoon.
That decision ensured the remainder of their match would be played under a closed
roof on Rod Laver Arena.
A rejuvenated Williams duly went on to win 5-7 7-5 6-1, although the eight-seeded
Russian did have her chances when she served for the match in the 10th game of the
second set.
Williams won that game and 10 of the last 11.
The American admitted she was happy with the decision to shut the roof.
"I was just gonna try to go for a third set with the roof open," she said.
"But with the roof closed as well, it was definitely helpful.
"(The first set) was really an out of body experience.
"I felt like I was watching someone play in a blue dress, and it wasn't me, because
it was so hot out there.
"And I kept trying to tell myself that it's not hot, you know. But it got hotter."
So brutal were the conditions on centre court that Williams had all her racquets
re-strung in the break while the roof was being closed.
"It was so hot that my racquets lost all tension," she said.
"I had to string them way tighter than normal for my ball to stay in the court
because they were pretty much hitting the people in the crowd.
"I was mortified at some of the shots I hit."
Kuznetsova insisted she had no problems coping with the heat and was furious with
the decision to close the roof.
"Definitely I was angry," she said.
"Why should I not be?
"The game is going my way, I'm fine playing with the roof open.
"I think with the guys yesterday, it was the same weather and everybody was playing
with the roof open.
"Why did they have to close it today?
"I didn't get it. That was why I was angry."
Dementieva had a different take on the roof debate after it remained open throughout
her 6-2 6-2 quarter-final victory earlier in the day over unseeded Spaniard Carla
Suarez Navarro.
"I'm really surprised because when you see the forecast, it's going to be 41 today,
43 tomorrow, the hottest week in a month, why not to close the roof?" said
Dementieva, one of the fittest players on the tour.
"Not only for the players, but for the spectators, as well.
" ... it looks like nobody really knows how (the extreme heat rule) really works here."
The fourth-seeded Dementieva started in lightning-quick fashion, dropping only two
points in the opening four games against the unseeded Spaniard.
Dementieva advanced to the Australian Open semis for the first time in 11 attempts.
The other semi will be an all-Russian clash between third seed Dinara Safina and
No.7 Vera Zvonareva.
Kuznetsova looked on course for a showdown with Elena Dementieva after winning the
first set of her quarter-final against the second-seeded Williams on another
brutally hot day in Melbourne.
But the American No.2 seed caught a lucky break when tournament referee Wayne
McKewen invoked the Extreme Heat Policy as the mercury soared above 40 degrees
Celsius before peaking at 43.2 degrees in mid-afternoon.
That decision ensured the remainder of their match would be played under a closed
roof on Rod Laver Arena.
A rejuvenated Williams duly went on to win 5-7 7-5 6-1, although the eight-seeded
Russian did have her chances when she served for the match in the 10th game of the
second set.
Williams won that game and 10 of the last 11.
The American admitted she was happy with the decision to shut the roof.
"I was just gonna try to go for a third set with the roof open," she said.
"But with the roof closed as well, it was definitely helpful.
"(The first set) was really an out of body experience.
"I felt like I was watching someone play in a blue dress, and it wasn't me, because
it was so hot out there.
"And I kept trying to tell myself that it's not hot, you know. But it got hotter."
So brutal were the conditions on centre court that Williams had all her racquets
re-strung in the break while the roof was being closed.
"It was so hot that my racquets lost all tension," she said.
"I had to string them way tighter than normal for my ball to stay in the court
because they were pretty much hitting the people in the crowd.
"I was mortified at some of the shots I hit."
Kuznetsova insisted she had no problems coping with the heat and was furious with
the decision to close the roof.
"Definitely I was angry," she said.
"Why should I not be?
"The game is going my way, I'm fine playing with the roof open.
"I think with the guys yesterday, it was the same weather and everybody was playing
with the roof open.
"Why did they have to close it today?
"I didn't get it. That was why I was angry."
Dementieva had a different take on the roof debate after it remained open throughout
her 6-2 6-2 quarter-final victory earlier in the day over unseeded Spaniard Carla
Suarez Navarro.
"I'm really surprised because when you see the forecast, it's going to be 41 today,
43 tomorrow, the hottest week in a month, why not to close the roof?" said
Dementieva, one of the fittest players on the tour.
"Not only for the players, but for the spectators, as well.
" ... it looks like nobody really knows how (the extreme heat rule) really works here."
The fourth-seeded Dementieva started in lightning-quick fashion, dropping only two
points in the opening four games against the unseeded Spaniard.
Dementieva advanced to the Australian Open semis for the first time in 11 attempts.
The other semi will be an all-Russian clash between third seed Dinara Safina and
No.7 Vera Zvonareva.
