By Sean Bradley
© Mark Peterson/Corleve
(January 24, 2011) In Rod Laver arena, the 9th ranked Chinese Li Na took the young, 30th-ranked German, Andrea Petkovic, 6-2, 6-4. Na’s back court control was the real star here – leading her to come back from 0-2, winning six straight points. Na’s strategy was to rally with Petkovic, waiting until she made an error. The second set started much the same way – Petkovic leading 2-0, but letting the lead slip, only getting two more points in the set. This is the furthest the young German has made it in a slam and there is no doubt that we will be seeing more of her this year and in the years to come. For Li Na, she now faces either Francesca Schiavone or Caroline Wozniacki.
Roger Federer took out the 19th-ranked fellow Swiss competitor, Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1, 6-3, 6-3. Wawrinka seemed out of the game for nearly the entire duration, missing easy shots and making poor decisions. Federer was, as should be expected, in high form, dominating from the baseline and creating many pivotal drop-shot wins. At the beginning of the third set, Wawrinka began putting up a fight, but Federer got the best of him. In the 5th set of the second match, Federer let loose another one of his famed tweeners, but it was not a winner and he lost the point. In the third set, Wawrinka showed some emotion and broke one of his racquets. Federer goes on to play either Tomas Berdych or Novak Djokovic.
In doubles, the Bryan Brothers beat out 6th-ranked doubles team of Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7). Dominating the first set, the Bryans had a little trouble closing out the third set, but came through a difficult tie-break to send themselves to the semi-finals, where they are set to player fellow America Eric Butorac and partner Jean-Julian Rojer.
Francesca Schiavone and Caroline Wozniacki take the court later tonight, as do Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych.