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Azarenka outlasts Stosur to reach Open semis

Top-ranked player ousts defending champ in third-set tiebreaker

Image: Victoria AzarenkaEduardo Munoz / Reuters
Victoria Azarenka celebrates a point during her quarterfinal victory over Samantha Stosur on Tuesday.
By RACHEL COHEN
updated 3:39 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2012

NEW YORK - Top-ranked Victoria Azarenka was pushed to the limit by defending champion Sam Stosur before winning in a third-set tiebreaker at the U.S. Open quarterfinals.

Azarenka eked out a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (5) victory on Tuesday in 2 hours, 23 minutes - not including an early 76-minute rain delay. She had never lost even a set to the Australian in six previous meetings, but Stosur rallied time and again after a lopsided first set.

The seventh-seeded Stosur came back from down a break twice in the third set. Then in the tiebreaker, she recovered from trailing 4-0 to tie it at 5-5.

Azarenka, the Australian Open champ from Belarus, never wavered. Her final forehand touched down on the baseline, forcing Stosur into a wild backhand.

© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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