News Americas, FLUSHING, NY, Tues. Sept. 3, 2013: China’s No. 5 seed Li Na made her nation proud Tuesday, winning over No. 24 seed Ekaterina Makarova of Russia in their women’s singles quarterfinal match.
Li’s 6-4, 6-7, 6-2 upped her winning to 4-0, with all coming on hard courts.
“After I lost the second set, I was a little bit sad,” said Li. “But I just kept telling myself to go point by point. Today, I was so nervous.”
The nervy affair between Li and Makarova continued in the third set with routine service holds, but Li stepped inside the court to hit forehands and grabbed a break of serve to lead 4-2. This time, Li managed to hold her lead, closing things out at 5-2 when a Makarova backhand landed past the baseline. The No. 5 seed raised her fists in triumph as she advanced into her first US Open semifinal.
Li will have nothing to lose in her semifinal match on Thursday, where she will play No. 1 seed Serena Williams.
