Serena reaches semis at Toronto tennis

TORONTO: American Serena Williams reached the semi-finals as she rallied from a first set loss to defeat Lucie Safarova 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the $2.05 million WTA hardcourt tournament here on Friday.

The unseeded Williams, who is continuing her comeback from injury and illness, next faces fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who breezed past world number 135 Galina Voskoboeva of Kazakhstan with a 6-1, 6-2 win.

Australia's Samantha Stosur also advanced to the next round easily beating Roberta Vinci -- the conqueror of world number one Caroline Wozniacki -- 6-4, 6-1.

Stosur broke Italian Vinci's serve while leading 5-4 in the first set to take the opening set at the Rexall Centre facility.

The Aussie then stepped up her game in the second set and moved through to the semi-finals with authority.

Stosur next faces Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat German Andrea Petkovic 6-4, 6-3.

Azarenka is the highest seeded player left in the field. Voskoboeva leaves with her head high as she earned the title giant killer at this tournament after upsetting No. 9 Marion Bartoli, No. 25 Flavia Pennetta and former US Open winner Maria Sharapova to earn her spot in the quarter-finals.