Serena rebounds but Venus bows to Chinese ace

MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams saved some family pride Wednesday at the Australian Open - just.

After her older sister Venus’ upset loss to China’s Li Na in the previous match on Rod Laver Arena, four-time champion Serena was down a set and 4-0 in the second before she rebounded for a 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.

Top-seeded Roger Federer overcame an awkward start to win 13 straight games and beat Nikolay Davydenko 2-6, 6-3, 6-0, 7-5 to reach the semifinals for his 23rd straight Grand Slam.

“It’s incredible, looking back on how many years that is now, I’m able to deliver at Grand Slam play,” Federer said. “For some reason I was just a bit worried I was not going to make it this time in the semis.

“Now obviously that it’s safe again and I’ve been able to add one. Definitely one of the most incredible things I have in my resume.”

Federer’s victory snapped a 13-game Davydenko winning streak after the Russian player won the season-ending ATP World Finals in November at London and his 20th career title in Doha earlier this month.

“I’ve played him many times before, and I know he goes through ... some rock-solid phases at times,” Federer added. “I just tried to stay positive.”

No. 10-seeded Jo-Wilfred Tsonga won, 7-6, (8), 6-7 (5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1, in the Wednesday night match, consigning 2008 champion Novak Djokovic to quarterfinals exits in consecutive years.

Djokovic took a medical timeout after going down 2-0 in the fourth. He’d just dropped a service game in which he clutched at his stomach and struggling to breathe.

Andy Murray and Marin Cilic are already through to the semis from the other half of the draw.

Venus Williams couldn’t make it to an expected sister semifinal, losing in a mistake-filled match featuring in a combined 110 unforced errors against Li.

The result is that Serena will take on Li, who beat Venus, 2-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5. Justine Henin, playing in her first Grand Slam tournament in two years after coming back from a two-year retirement, will play Zheng Jie in the other semifinal.

Serena Williams was far from confident after the first hour of the match, thinking of her sister’s loss.

“It was obviously on my mind,” Serena said of Venus’ defeat. “I saw maybe one or two points, maybe three. I don’t want to watch too much, I get too nervous watching. Obviously I was incredibly disappointed.”

Li and Zheng were the first Chinese pair to reach the quarterfinals at the same Grand Slam. Add semifinals now, and could the final be possible?   

Serena Williams and Henin, with a combined 18 Grand Slam singles title between them (Serena 11, Henin 7) would seem to have the inside edge. But Li, who lost the first set and was twice down breaks in the second, says anything can happen.

“In China, we say if you have tough time and then you return back, maybe have good luck,” Li said.  (AP)