• WTA

Serena ties Graf record with quarter win

ESPN staff
March 26, 2013
Highlights: Serena Williams bt Li Na (6-3 7-5)

Serena Williams' pursuit of a sixth career Sony Open title continued on Tuesday, as the American reached the semi-finals in Florida with a comfortable victory over fifth seed Li Na.

Williams looked assured in the opening set against the Chinese, but found herself needing to escape something of a hole in the second stanza - eventually securing a 6-3 7-6(5) victory.

With her serve faltering somewhat over the course of the contest - she served up six double faults in total - Williams appeared to be heading for a decisive third set when she fell 5-2 down against Na, but she rallied back impressively - with six winners in the tiebreaker ultimately clinching her the victory.

The win means she matched Steffi Graf's tournament record of 59 victories, with the prospect of taking the record on her own with a win over either Agnieszka Radwanska or Kirsten Flipkens, who play their quarter-final later on Tuesday, later in the week.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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