Angelique Kerber has advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open with an impressive 6-3, 7-5 victory over two-time Australian open champion Victoria Azarenka.
Kerber prevailed in one hour and and 45 minutes in two hard fought sets.
The No.7 seed raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set, before Azarenka fought back. But Kerber held her nerve to take the first 6-3.
Azarenka then looked set to take the match to a third set, leading 5-2 in the second, before Kerber fought back to win five games in a row to claim the match in straight sets.
Mistakes proved costly for the Belorussian, who hit 33 unforced errors compared to Kerber's 16.
She will now meet either Johanna Konta or Zhang Shuai in the semifinal.
