If anyone had told Angelique Kerber that she would split sets in the quarterfinals of the US Open less than two weeks ago, she most certainly would have taken it hands down. On Thursday, Kerber was able to steal the third set from Italy's Flavia Pennetta and a spot in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament. Kerber won the match 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 and will face Australia's Samantha Stosur in the semifinals. Winning 9 of 15 break points in the match was large part of her victory, which propelled her to the biggest stage of her career. Pennetta, who ousted third-seeded Maria Sharapova earlier in the week, had her opportunities to win the match, but could only must 7 of 18 break chances and the younger, quicker Kerber was able to push through. The women's draw is slightly ahead of the men, having completed more matches ahead of the two-day rain delay that had halted matches until Thursday. BM
