Worlds #1 Danira Safina rolled today in 3 sets to make the semifinals of the Italian Open, setting up an intriguing semifinal match again worlds #5 Venus Williams.

This should be a solid test for Safina who needs to win this match to build respect showing indeed she’s worth the #1 ranking.

With Serena announcing to the world that she is the rightful owner of the #1 ranking, there should be a little bit of extra spice for the match. No, Safina isn’t playing Serena, but Venus is of course family, and families back each other up. I expect this to be a battle out there, though it’s hard to give the edge to anyone really.

Meanwhile, Kuznetsova beat Jelena Jankovic in 2 sets (6-1, 7-6), and I’ll move on from this. I’ve been hard on Jankovic in the past…I really remain surprised she’s a top #5 player. Not a popular view, but I’m going to stick with this until she really shows me something special.

MarkOskar

Original post by Mark Oskar