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Williams wins to set up Peer clash

Shahar Peer came through a tough opening in Dubai © Getty Images

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Day Five in pictures

Venus Williams set up a clash with Shahar Peer in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships with a routine 6-3 6-4 win over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

With Caroline Wozniacki and Svetlana Kuznetsova falling by the wayside earlier in the week, defending champion Williams is the top seed remaining in the tournament. And she never looked like joining the list of seeded casualties as she produced a professional displays to dispose of the Russian.

Two breaks of serve were enough for Williams to take the opening set and she drove home her advantage at the start of the second with an early break. Williams engaged cruise control and never looked under any threat as she wrapped up the match

Peer became the first woman to reach the semi-finals, after Na Li was forced to retire on Thursday.

Peer, who beat Yanina Wickmayer, Virginie Razzano and Caroline Wozniacki to reach the quarter-finals, had fought through a tough opening set to assume the advantage over her Chinese opponent. However, at 5-7 0-3 down in the second set, Li called for the trainer and eventually called a disappointing halt to proceedings.

The first set really could have gone either way as No. 8 seed Peer was out-served by Li, who maintained a much higher percentage of first serves in. However, it was Peer who created the greater number of break opportunities, crucially taking the 11th game of the opening set after Li had cancelled out her earlier break of service.

Injury then began to hamper Li's movement as she immediately surrendered her serve at the start of the second set, with Peer reacting clinically to her opponent's discomfort as she amassed a 3-0 lead. Finally Li's body had absorbed enough, following a gruelling Australian Open campaign that took her to the semi-finals, and she begrudgingly withdrew from the contest after 78 minutes.

"I'm the only player that hasn't played on centre court," said Peer. "But whatever will be, will be. I'm not controlling it. I'm doing what I've been told, and wherever I need to play, I'll play on."

Asked if it would be a disadvantage not to have played on centre court if she eventually gets there, Peer answered: "I guess not, because I am winning. But you know like I said I'm doing what I've been told. I'm not involved in the schedule.

"I'm just getting the schedule after when my coach is telling me when I'm playing on which court, and I'm getting ready for the match."

Agnieszka Radwanska battled back from a set down to join Peer in the semi-finals, beating Regina Kulikova 3-6 6-4 6-3. Seventh seed Radwanska needed two hours and 18 minutes to overcome the Russian qualifier, conceding four breaks of serve in the match and saving a further seven break points.

Kulikova looked powerful en route to wrapping up the first set, but then she proved her own worst enemy, throwing up seven double faults to allow Radwanska back into the match.

Radwanska now faces Victoria Azarenka who produced a powerful display to see off Vera Zvonareva 6-1 6-3. The Belarusian broke her Russian opponent's serve on six occasions.

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