Azarenka stunned

French seventh seed Marion Bartoli stunned previously unbeaten world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the ATP/WTA Miami hardcourt tournament on Wednesday.

French seventh seed Marion Bartoli stunned previously unbeaten world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semi-finals of the ATP/WTA Miami hardcourt tournament on Wednesday.

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It was the second consecutive dominating victory in Miami for Bartoli who brushed aside 22nd seed Maria Kirilenko in the fourth round 6-1, 6-2.

Bartoli ended defending champion Azarenka’s season-long win streak at 26 matches by posting her third win over a world number one and first in three years. “I really went on court with a lot of belief in myself, and I stayed very focused at the end,” said Bartoli. “I’m so happy.”

Bartoli will next face Agnieszka Radwanska who brought Venus Williams' comeback to a halt on Wednesday, downing the American 6-4, 6-1.

The 23-year-old Radwanska from Poland reached the semi-finals here for the first time, after getting to the quarter-finals each of the past two years.

She needed one hour, 21 minutes to overcome Williams, who was playing her first WTA tournament in more than six months after her abrupt withdrawal from the second round of the US Open, where she revealed she had been diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder Sjogren syndrome.

Nadal On tsonga

World No.2 Rafael Nadal had to battle hard to overcome Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and set up a semi-final clash with Briton Andy Murray.

The Spaniard was made to toil hard Wednesday in the quarters as he won 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in two hours and 50 minutes.