{"id":3819,"date":"2013-05-18T02:25:00","date_gmt":"2013-05-18T02:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disnaija.com\/nigeria-news\/italian-open-serena-in-qfinal-sharapova-withdraws\/"},"modified":"2013-05-18T02:25:00","modified_gmt":"2013-05-18T02:25:00","slug":"italian-open-serena-in-qfinal-sharapova-withdraws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disnaija.com\/italian-open-serena-in-qfinal-sharapova-withdraws\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Open: Serena In Q\/Final, Sharapova Withdraws"},"content":{"rendered":"
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World No. 1 Serena Williams comfortably made the quarterfinals of the Italian Open in Rome with a 6-0, 6-1 mauling of Slovakia\u2019s 14th seed Dominika Cibulkova yesterday.<\/p>\n

\"\u2022Serena <\/p>\n

\u2022Serena Williams in action at the ongoing Italian Open. Photo… AFP<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Serena, who has now won 21 successive matches, will face Spain\u2019s Carla Suarez Navarro for a spot in the semifinals.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing is ever perfect \u2013 I learned that last year when I felt perfect,\u201d said Serena, referring to her stunning first-round loss at Roland Garros in 2012.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am still in the danger zone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Serena added: \u201cI can\u2019t remember the other winning streaks, but I hope I can get to 22 and the rest of the matches that I have here.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus seven, and Wimbledon too, so it would be dangerous to lose now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unseeded two-time champion Jelena Jankovic upset 2011 Roland Garros winner Li Na, the Chinese fifth seed, 7-6 (7\/2), 7-5.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt like I wasn\u2019t playing so badly today, it was just a really long, tough match between me and JJ,\u201d Li said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was trying a lot of things out there on the court today. Sometimes it was working, sometimes it didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Russia’s Maria Sharapova has pulled out of the Rome Open, citing “physical problems”, the WTA said early today.<\/p>\n

The two-time winner of the tournament and world number two had been due to play Italy’s Sara Errani in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n

Errani, the world number six, will now go through to the semi-finals to meet the winner of the match between Australia’s Samantha Stosur and Viktoria Azarenka of Belarus.<\/p>\n

Sharapova had earlier brushed aside America\u2019s Sloane Stephens 6-2, 6-1, to reach the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n

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