Tennis

Angelique Kerber for the first time in the semi-finals of the Australian Open

Against your Angstgegnerin Victoria Asarenka won the best German player in two sets and showed great nerves.

Five Satzbälle had to Angelique Kerber to ward off, – then you could have a double personal Triumph to celebrate: For the first Time in her career she reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open. And for the first Time, she won against Victoria Asarenka.

At the end it was 6:3 and 7:5 for the German number One. An hour and 45 minutes it took Kerber in the Rod Laver Arena for the victory against their Angstgegnerin Asarenka in six duels never could win. Against the two-time Australian Open champion showed it this time, a strong performance and was rewarded.

Happy

“I’m just happy that I finally have hit, and here for the first time in the semi-final stand,” said Kerber after her impressive presentation. “I’ve just told, games, as well as on the training ground,” revealed the Kielerin your recipe for success.

After the smooth 6:3 in the first set, saw it in the second in the meantime then, as if Asarenka the German once again would catch. With 5:2 resulted in the Belarusian already and had five Satzbälle, but Kerber kept the peace, played the next aggressive and focused. She resisted all Satzbälle, won five games in a row and drew deserves the semi-finals.

Now to the very top?

With your first Halbfinaleinzug ended the 28-Year-old at the same time a long dry spell: The last Time was in 2012 at Wimbledon, with one of the four Major tournaments, the final Four is reached.

Her opponent in the semifinals on Thursday will be the winner of the encounter between an Englishwoman Johanna Co and the Chinese Zhang Shuai. But none of the two is it easy to Angelique Kerber in their current Form to stop.

mak/haz (dpa, sid, rtr)