By Chris Oddo | Friday, May 16, 2014
Sara Errani was inspired. Li Na was tired. The result? A decisive victory for the Italian and a spot in the Rome semifinal.
Photo Source: Julian Finney/ Getty
Sara Errani notched her first career top-two win against Li Na at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia on Friday, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, to reach her second consecutive semifinal at her home tournament.
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The victory marks Errani's second top five victory in 33 matches for Errani, and it is her first victory in seven tries against Li.
Errani entered the match on a 12-set losing streak against the two-time Grand Slam champion, but the Italian reeled off four straight games in the first set to overcome a 3-2 deficit and secure the opener.
Li would take the second set, but she was eventually done in by 52 unforced errors and a bit of lethargy that the 32-year-old said was due to a stomach virus (or allergies) that she was suffering from.
Errani, spurred by the partisan crowd, would race past the fading Li in the decider, breaking open a tight set to win the final four games. After saving a break point to hold in the fifth game, Errani only lost three points in the final three games.
Li did smack 36 winners on the afternoon, 31 of which came in the final two sets, but it was not enough to overcome the spirited and consistent effort of Errani, who managed only 11 winners but, more important, broke Li's serve eight times out of 13 opportunities.
The 10th-seeded Errani is attempting to become the first Italian woman to win Rome since Raffaella Reggi took the title 29 years ago. She will face either Agnieszka Radwanska or Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals.