Melbourne, Australia – Serena Williams relied on her greatest attribute to reach the Australian Open semifinals.
“I am the ultimate competitor,” the former No. 1 player said.
Williams overcame an error-strewn first set and a back-and-forth deciding set today to beat 16th-seeded Shahar Peer 3-6, 6-2, 8-6.
“I feel awesome. I’m excited to be out here. … I’m just so happy to be back out here competing,” she said after breaking the 19-year-old Peer to finish the match in 2 hours, 34 minutes.
Coming into the season’s first major ranked No. 81 after injuries ruined 2006, Williams has won five consecutive matches for the first time since capturing the most recent of her seven Grand Slam singles titles here in 2005.
She made 49 unforced errors and had only 30 winners. But in the end, her experience counted most. Williams converted five of her six break-point chances and fended off 10 of Peer’s 13.
Williams next plays 17- year-old Nicole Vaidisova, who beat fellow Czech Lucie Safarova 6-1, 6-4 to reach her second Grand Slam semifinal.
“It’s great for Czech tennis to have two in the quarterfinals, one in the semis,” the 10th-seeded Vaidisova said. “Of course you don’t want to play your friend, but I’m just happy to get through.”
The 10th-seeded Vaidisova was the highest-ranked player into the quarterfinals on the bottom half of the draw after Safarova upset defending champion Amelie Mauresmo and Peer ousted No. 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Vaidisova is 0-1 in Grand Slam semifinals, losing to Kuznetsova at the 2006 French Open.
Williams has reached the semis 11 times in majors, and gone on to the finals nine times.
Top-seeded Maria Sharapova downed No. 22 Vera Zvonareva 7-5, 6-4 on Monday and will play another all-Russian match in the quarterfinals after 12th-seeded Ana Chakvetadze beat No. 8 Patty Schnyder 6-4, 6-1.
No. 4 Kim Clijsters and three-time champion Martina Hingis will meet in the quarterfinals here for the second straight year. Clijsters ended Hingis’ remarkable comeback in her first major after three years on the sidelines last year, when the former No. 1 player started with a ranking of No. 341.
Rafael Nadal finally got to see how he holds up against a guy who can also beat Roger Federer in a match that started late Monday and finished well after midnight. When his night’s work was done he understood what he had accomplished against Andy Murray.
“It was a very, very, very important match for me, very tough,” Nadal said. “Andy was playing at an unbelievable level. He’s very smart on court, for sure.”
Nadal outlasted the 19-year-old Scot, twice rallying from a set down to win 6-7 (3), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and reach the quarterfinals.
Nadal, who has been ranked No. 2 to Federer every week since July 2005, had to fend off 10 break points in the last two sets.
Nadal next faces No. 10 Fernando Gonzalez, who beat fifth-seeded James Blake 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (4).
Sixth-seeded Andy Roddick, playing friend and former housemate Mardy Fish, advanced with a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
