MELBOURNE (AFP) – Stan Wawrinka won a bad-tempered clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to reach the Australian Open semi-finals as Venus Williams’ late-career surge sent her soaring into the last four on Tuesday.
Wawrinka and France’s Tsonga, who have been at odds in the past, argued heatedly at the first-set changeover and there was no love lost as the Swiss charged to a 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 6-3 win.
It puts 2014 champion Wawrinka, 31, into his third Melbourne semi-final where he will play the ever-popular Roger Federer, his Swiss compatriot, or Mischa Zverev.
“It’s not easy to play against him, he’s a strong player,’’ Wawrinka said of Tsonga, adding that barring a big upset he expected to face Federer next.
“In the semis I play Roger. It’s going to be tough to have some fans but I hope some people will cheer for me.’’
Earlier Williams’ age-defying campaign reached new heights as she beat Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to become the oldest woman to reach a Grand Slam semi-final in 23 years.
Williams, 36, won 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) to reach the last four without dropping a set and move towards a possible ninth Grand Slam final against her sister Serena, 16 years after their first.
“Why shouldn’t I?’’ said the seven-time Grand Slam-winner, who is thriving again after a battle with an autoimmune disorder, when asked if she could win her first major title since 2008.
“I try to believe. Should I look across the net and believe the person across the net deserves it more?
“This mentality is not how champions are made. I’d like to be a champion, in particular this year. The mentality I walk on court with is, ‘I deserve this’.’’
Next up for Williams is her hard-hitting, aggressive fellow American Coco Vandeweghe.
