SPORTS> Tennis
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SPORTS> Tennis
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Serena Williams to play Dementieva in semis
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-01-28 14:21 Both players were soon draping towels packed with ice around their necks during changeovers and sought shade as long as possible behind the baselines between points.
Dementieva was having particular problems with her high service toss as she looked straight up into the sun, double-faulting four times in that long game. She finished with 10 double-faults. She blamed that on the harsh sun. "Usually when you're playing at 11 am, it's not that strong. But today it was a very dangerous sun and very strong," she said. Even local wildlife was struggling in the heat, with moths fluttering onto the court and dropping dead. "It was hot for everyone, you know," Dementieva said. "They were like ready to die; not to survive a day like that." Fourth-seeded Dementieva had never gone past the fourth round in 10 previous trips to Australia. Now she's only one win from reaching a third Grand Slam final. The 27-year-old Russian lost the French and US Open finals in 2004. Rafael Nadal, who beat Roger Federer in the French Open and Wimbledon finals and then overtook him at No. 1, plays No. 6 Gilles Simon of France in the men's quarterfinals later Wednesday. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who upset Nadal in the semis here last year before losing the final to defending champion Novak Djokovic, faces Spanish Davis Cup winner Fernando Verdasco. Djokovic dropped out of the tournament Tuesday when he retired ill from his quarterfinal against Andy Roddick while trailing two sets to one. Roddick will play Federer in a semifinal.
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