Home

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray advance, Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka ...

18.05.12

If only Marion Bartoli had bottled some of her seemingly-boundless energy and given it to listless Venus Williams on Wednesday. Then, maybe they'd be meeting in the Sony Ericsson Open semifinal in what would have been a rematch of the 2007 Wimbledon final.

Instead, Williams went home, and the quirky Bartoli is still alive, as are Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, who will meet in a men's semifinal after surviving three-set scares. Nadal, the second-seeded Spaniard, advanced just after midnight, on his third match point, with a thrilling 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win over Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Pro wrestler The Big Show did the coin toss before the Nadal-Tsonga match, and a big show it was.

Nadal won the first set in 39 minutes, as if he had a dinner reservation on South Beach to make. He served for the match leading 6-2, 5-4, but Tsonga broke him and won the next two games to force the third set. The crowd of 14,000-plus roared and settled into their seats for more excitement. Every time it looked like Nadal got an edge, the entertaining Tsonga came up with a huge shot. He also pleased the crowd with his playfulness, at one point juggling the tennis ball with his feet.

Source: MiamiHerald.com