Australian Open: Day 9

SI Staff | Jan 25, 2011

Australian Open: Day 9 /

Australian Open: Day 9

China's Li Na prepares to serve to Germany's Andrea Petkovic during their quarterfinal match on Tuesday at Melbourne Park. The ninth-seeded Li won 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the Australian Open semifinals for the second straight year.

Petkovic makes a forehand return to Li during Tuesday's match. The 23-year-old German was playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.

Li was the only quarterfinalist from last year's Australian Open to make the last eight this year. Now the 28-year-old is headed back to the semifinals, where she bowed in two tiebreak sets to eventual champion Serena Williams in 2010.

Petkovic struggled on serve throughout the afternoon, getting broken three times in the first set and twice in the second.

Li improved to 10-0 this year with Tuesday's victory, having opened the season with a run to the Sydney title.

Li signs autographs for fans after Tuesday's match. She will face Caroline Wozniacki in Thursday's semifinals.

Switzerland's Roger Federer (right) and compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka (left) talk with chair umpire John Blom (center) before the start of their quarterfinal match.

Federer did not concede a break point while converting both his chances in the first set, winning it at 6-1.

Wawrinka, wearing sunscreen to battle the elements, put up more of a fight in the second set but still found himself staring down a 6-1, 6-3 deficit.

Most Swiss spectators cheered for both Federer and Wawrinka during Tuesday's match.

Federer (bottom) and Wawrinka (top) are friends off the court, having captured doubles gold together at the Beijing Olympics.

Federer needed just 107 minutes to finish off the 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 victory and advance to his eighth consecutive Australian Open semifinal.

Italy's Francesca Schiavone watches her backhand return to Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki during their quarterfinal match.

Wozniacki made just 15 unforced errors to Schiavone's 46.

Schiavone's endurance was pushed to the limit in the wake of Sunday's 4-hour, 44-minute victory over Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Wozniacki trailed a set and a break at 1-3 in the second, but won six straight games en route to a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory.

Schiavone made a valiant push in the third set but couldn't back down her top-ranked opponent.

Wozniacki advances to faces No. 9 Li Na in Thursday's semifinals.

The roof is closed on Rod Laver Arena for Tuesday's quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych.

The third-seeded Djokovic used the forehand to pick apart Berdych systematically during a 36-minute first set.

Berdych forced a second-set tiebreak but lost 7-5 to fall into a two-set hole.

A group of raucous Berdych fans watch Tuesday's match.

Berdych capitalized on the first break points of the match to take a 4-1 lead in the second set, but it didn't hold.

Djokovic finished off the 6-1, 7-6(5), 6-1 victory in 2 hours, 32 minutes.

Published Jan 25, 2011

SI STAFF