NEW YORK, Sept. 8-- World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and three-time champion Serena Williams both cruised into the semifinals of US Open on Thursday and had to face off for a final slot. Last year's runner-up Vera Zvonareva, No. 2 seed, succumbed to Aussie Samantha Stosur in straight sets of 6-3, 6-3 in a quarterfinal. The 2009 US Open runner-up Wozniacki got past 10th-seeded German Andrea Petkovic 6-1, 7-6 (5) in 1 hour and 40 minutes in another quarterfinal, including a hard-fought 73-minute second set. The top-seeded Dane broke Petkovic six times, compared to three breaks for the German, who reached the quarterfinals at three of the four Grand Slam events this year, her best-ever one on the WTA circuit. The 21-year-old Wozniacki will challenge Williams for a third time, all on hardcourts, seeking a first ever win. The two stars haven't met since the 2009 season. The 28th-seeded Williams overpowered 17th-seeded Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-5, 6-1 with her seventh ace of the play to end the contest, advancing into semifinal hitting 26 winners. The powerful American broke the young Russian six times and Pavlyuchenkova piled up 31 unforced errors en route to the predictable defeat. "I think Caroline is a very consistent player," Williams said. "I think both consistent on the court and then consistent in playing tournaments and doing well and winning tournaments as well as going really far in tournaments. That's pretty much what it takes to be the best." |