BRISBANE, Australia — Victoria Azarenka maintained her surge in form while the leading women on the tour are struggling with injuries or inconsistency at the start of the season, reaching the Brisbane International semifinals with a 6-1, 6-2 win over eighth-seeded Roberta Vinci.
The two-time Australian Open champion has dropped just 10 games en route to the semis, where she'll meet Samantha Crawford, the No. 142-ranked, 20-year-old U.S. qualifier who beat Andrea Pektovic 6-3, 6-0 earlier Thursday.
Azarenka, who was limited to 23 tournaments across the last two seasons due to foot and leg injuries, was was broken once in each set but converted 7 of her 11 breakpoint chances against Vinci, who ended Serena Williams' bid for a season Grand Slam with an upset semifinal win at the U.