Serena sails into semis in Istanbul

 

Originally published on: 24/10/13 00:00

The world No.1 fired 27 winners as she defeated Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-3 to extend her winning streak at the event to 13 wins to guarantee top spot in the Red Group.

Despite her defeat to Williams, Kvitova can still progress to the semi-finals – she must beat Angelique Kerber on Friday as the pair go head-to-head for second place in the group after Kerber defeated Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2 6-2 to send Radwanska out of the tournament.

Kvitova and Kerber are 2-2 in previous meetings, with Kvitova winning their most recent encounter in Tokyo earlier in October.

"I will just go out there [on Friday] and try to play like I did today and enjoy the tennis," Kerber said. "It feels unbelievable to be here – I've really enjoyed my stay this week and we'll see how it goes. The main thing for me is just to try my best and focus on every point."

In the White Group,  Victoria Azarenka, Li Na and Jelena Jankovic are all in the running to qualify for the semi-finals after Li defeated Jankovic 6-3 2-6 6-3 on Thursday.

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