Victoria Azarenka booked her place in the semi-finals of this year's French Open courtesy of a 7-6 6-2 victory over Maria Kirilenko this afternoon.
In what was an error-strewn opening to the match, the first four service games ended in breaks, before Kirilenko required a medical time out to treat an injury.
When she returned, it continued to be an even contest and despite late breaks for both players, a tie-breaker was required to determine a victor. A double fault from Kirilenko handed the initiative to Azarenka and the world number three took full advantage to win through 7-3.
The Belarusian had the ascendancy after that and she took control of the second set when she broke for a 3-1 lead, thanks largely to another service error from Kirilenko.
The remainder of the set went with serve until Azarenka made the most of her two match points on the Kirilenko serve to secure her spot in the final four at Roland Garros.
She will now face either Maria Sharapova or Jelena Jankovic for place in Saturday's final.
Liam Apicella
