Champ vs challenger

Dubai: Venus Williams drew closer to the defence of her title with a clinical 6-1, 6-4 demolition of Shahar Peer in the first semifinal of the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championship at the Dubai Tennis Stadium yesterday.

Williams will meet fourth seed Victoria Azarenka in the final today. Azarenka won the ‘battle of the 20s' by beating seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-4 in the second semifinal later in the evening.

Today's schedule will see the doubles final starting at 5pm followed by the singles final between Azarenka and defending champion Williams at 7pm.

If the first semifinal was about five crucial double faults from Peer and some astounding returns from Venus, the second semifinal saw the temperamental Azarenka make a perfect Dubai debut by entering her first final of 2010.

Azarenka's best performance this year had been the semifinals at the Sydney Open last month.

"I've been playing pretty good and I reckoned I had to take the chances that came my way," Azarenka said. "I am so excited to play Venus tomorrow and I hope you all come and support and cheer us on."

Azarenka broke Radwanska in the third set and then held for an early 3-1 lead. From then on there was no looking back as she broke one more time in the ninth game to wrap up the set 6-3 in 33 minutes.

In the second set, Radwanska — just five months older than Azarenka — had an early break and then held for a 3-1 cushion. But Azarenka broke back in the eighth to draw level 4-4, held on for 5-4 and then broke one more time to take the set and match 6-4 in an hour and 20 minutes.

In the earlier semifinal, Williams ensured a perfect 3-0 career record against Peer in their three meetings so far.

Should Venus win today's final, she will be only the second player after Justine Henin to successfully defend her title in Dubai. The Belgian won in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

"She [Peer] made too many unforced errors in the first set and then in the second I think I relied heavily on my serve to get through," Venus said after the match.

• In a doubles semifinal, second seeds Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez dumped the fourth-seeded pairing of Nadia Petrova and Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4 to enter the finals.
• Singles semifinals: Venus Williams bt Shahar Peer 6-1, 6-4; Victoria Azarenka bt Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 6-4.
• Doubles semifinals: Nuria Llagostera Vives/Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez bt Nadia Petrova/Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-4.