Andrea Petkovic advanced to her first Grand Slam semifinal, beating Sara Errani of Italy 6-2, 6-2 at the French Open on Wednesday.
Petkovic had some trouble holding serve, but her groundstrokes consistently landed near the lines, many of them for winners.The 28th-seeded German was broken to open each set. But she won the final six games of the first set, and the final four games of the second.Petkovic finished the match with 26 winners, while Errani had only 11.
Petkovic will next face fourth-seeded Simona Halep. The Romanian beat 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-2.The Petkovic-Errani match on Court Philippe Chatrier, the main stadium at Roland Garros, started under overcast skies after a three-hour delay. With Errani leading 2-1 but facing a break point, the rain returned.Petkovic then broke with a forehand winner on her second break opportunity.
The drizzle continued until the changeover with Petkovic leading 5-2. By the time the second set started, the sun was out.Petkovic had been 0-3 in major quarterfinals, losing at that stage at the Australian Open, French Open and U.S. Open in 2011. Her ranking dropped after that, as low as 177th last year, because of a right knee injury.
Errani was the runner-up at Roland Garros in 2012, losing to Maria Sharapova. last year, the 10th-seeded Italian reached the semifinals and lost to eventual champion Serena Williams.later Wednesday, eight-time champion Rafael Nadal was to face 2013 runner-up David Ferrer, while Andy Murray was playing Gael Monfils.Monfils is trying to become the first Frenchman to win the title at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983.
Fourth-seeded Halep advanced to semifinals by beating 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-2 Wednesday.Halep, the highest-seeded player in the draw, lost in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open in January, her best previous performance at a Grand Slam tournament.Halep has moved quickly up the rankings over the last year. In the last 13 months, Halep has won seven titles, second only to Serena Williams. But Halep is the only player to have won titles on clay, grass and hard courts during that stretch.
Blame it on the rain When it's raining at the French Open, spectators have more options than the players.While the start of play in Wednesday's quarterfinals was being delayed by a downpour, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray chatted with members of his entourage in the players' lounge in the main stadium.Sara Errani, the 2012 runner-up in singles at Roland Garros, hung out with doubles partner Roberta Vinci in the dressing room — Vinci posted a photo on Twitter to prove it.
Some fans, meanwhile, sought shelter inside shops selling tennis gear. Others lined up at various food stands. And some found their way to the French Tennis Federation museum on the grounds.Those craving for tennis action braved the rain while watching a videoboard outside Court Suzanne lenglen that showed highlights of Tuesday's quarterfinal between Ernests Gulbis and Tomas Berdych.