Fired-up fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska blasted into her fifth career Grand Slam semi-final on Tuesday with a dominant straight-sets mauling of Carla Suarez Navarro at the Australian Open. The Spanish 10th seed was no match for the popular and composed Pole whose never-say-die attitude helped her dictate the physical encounter and romp home 6-1, 6-3 in the Rod Laver Arena.
It is the 26-year-old's second semi-final at Melbourne Park and she will play world number one Serena Williams for a place in the final.
“I'm very very pleased, I knew it would be tough because she is solid, like all Spanish players,” said Radwanska. “I tried to be aggressive and focused on my serve. I think I did a good job. I'm happy to be playing my best tennis every match.”
Radwanska, who is now on a 13-match win streak, including the Shenzhen Open title this month, had rallied back from the brink of defeat in the fourth round, but it was far easier on Tuesday.
Both wearing pink, Radwanska coolly took an early advantage when Suarez hit a double fault to hand her a break point. A deep service return saw the Spaniard scoop a forehand wide to allow the Pole to go 1-0 up.
Ahead of the match Suarez said she was familiar with Radwanska's tactics, but she had trouble reading them under the blazing sun as the Pole pushed her around the court.
The fourth-seed comfortably held, then broke again as the usually resourceful Suarez, 27, sent a loose backhand long, to be in full control. The Spaniard finally got off the mark by holding serve to stay in touch at 1-4 down, but with the sweat pouring off Suarez, Radwanska kept calm to break again and romp to the set in just 24 minutes.
She was on a mission and at the start of the second set, she easily held serve before breaking again with the match in danger of becoming a one-sided affair. But Suarez broke back in the third game, reviving memories of her fourth round clash when she rallied from losing the first set against Daria Gavrilova 6-0 to fight back and win the match.
It was short-lived with Radwanska bouncing straight back to break again, but the momentum kept shifting as they traded breaks.
The Spaniard managed to hold on during a long sixth game, but Radwanska grabbed the decisive break to storm 5-3 in front and served out for the match.
Suarez was bidding to make her first Grand Slam semi on her 29th attempt, and despite defeat her exploits are expected to see her return to the top 10. She is currently ranked 11.
Radwanska also had plenty of reasons to keep her run going, with her progression to the semis expected to see her move above Garbine Muguruza to world number three when the rankings come out next week.
The composed Pole, who shows few emotions on court, won the biggest title of her career at the WTA Finals in Singapore last year, with an even bigger one now up for grabs in Melbourne.
Radwanska satisfied with form
Agnieszka Radwanska is content with her form at the Australian Open ahead of a semi-final meeting with world number one Serena Williams.
Radwanska, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2012, said she was pleased with where her game was at.
"I think it's good, reaching the semi-finals here and I won the tournament before," she said. "Couldn't be better so far."
Radwanska has won just one set in her eight previous meetings with Williams and hopes her serve – which can be targeted – is at its best.
"I didn't serve that good today. I was trying to be focused on that, especially that it was tough on one side of the court," she said.
"But, definitely, when you play someone like Maria or Serena you're trying more. You have to really go for it."
Suarez had 45 unforced errors in the quarter-final clash and the Spanish 10th seed blamed fatigue for her struggles.
"Yesterday and the day before I didn't sleep as much as I wanted, I didn't rest good. You know, I feel tired," she said.
"But when you are on court you have to fight, you have to run, you have to be there, and today I didn't have the good feeling to play good tennis, the good mentality to play more aggressive or try to play a little bit better than I play.
"But I have to learn about these situations, this match, this experience. I need to learn."
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