SPORTS> Tennis
Serena Williams to play Dementieva in semis
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-28 14:21

After beating the Russian, she joins three others in the semifinals.

"Me against the Russians, I guess," she said.

Williams next plays Olympic gold medalist Elena Dementieva, who ousted Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-2 in Wednesday's earlier match.


Russia's Elena Dementieva returns to Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro during their women's singles quarter-final match at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 28, 2009. [Agencies]

Olympic silver medalist Dinara Safina and No. 7-seeded Vera Zvonareva meet in the other semifinal.

Dementieva questioned the wisdom of leaving the stadium open for her match as temperatures reached 104 degrees.

The roof stayed open for the first set of the Williams-Kuznetsova match, but the tournament's Extreme Heat Policy was put into effect at the break between sets -- giving the players time to refresh and organizers time to close the retractable roof.

The temperature rose to 109 degrees as the afternoon progressed, the start of a heatwave predicted in and around Melbourne through Saturday.

"I was in a lot of trouble. I just relaxed," she said. "I just wanted to fight and at least play three sets."

Williams has won the Australian title in 2003, 2005 and 2007. She's two wins from continuing the odd-numbered sequence.

"I just have to keep playing well and just go for two more," she said.

While the Williams-Kuznetsova match was interrupted for 10 minutes to close the roof, matches on outside courts were suspended or rescheduled to be played in the second closed arena.

Dementieva made a fast start against 20-year-old Suarez Navarro of Spain, who upset Venus Williams in the second round, winning 16 of the first 18 points for a 4-0 lead.

She raced through the first five games in 22 minutes and, after eventually holding serve in a sixth game that went to deuce 11 times and lasted 17 minutes, finished off in 1 hour, 35 minutes.

"You can work so hard trying to get ready for the weather conditions, but when you have to face 40 (104 Fahrenheit) or 41 (106), there is no way you can get used to it," Dementieva said. "The best way is to play as quick as possible and just get away from the court. I mean, there is no way to adjust with the heat here."