Can Errani continue her amazing run?

If Sara Errani, unseeded Italian were to reach the semi finals, she would have to overcome world number one aspirant Petra Kvitova. The Wimbledon champ could be the saviour for the Czech Republic, disappointed at losing Tomas Berdych from the Open the previous night. Kvitova had all the shots at her disposal to manage Errani, but all the fight and determination of the underdog can go a long way to causing difficulties for the hot favourite if not necessarily an upset.

Petra opened as she would have hoped, breaking Errani's first serve of the match, but then Petra lost her compass and map, and without them her direction went haywire, handing Sara a prize opportunity to break back for 1-1. Yet to gain any sense of her usual excellence, Kvitova muddled her way through the third game occasionally donating a wonderful forehand for identification purposes, and aiding yet another failure on serve, the second such disappointment for Errani.

The advantage of serving was not such an asset for the girls today for even as Petra held on and took the set to 5-2, she too suffered the curse, and failed to serve it out. Second time round the attempt reaped success and the set ended in her hands, not convincingly, but Brad Gilbert was a fan of winning ugly if you are not playing to your best. 6-4 Kvitova.

Late in the first game of set two, maybe Petra turned her A game on, as she conjured up two withering down the line shots from deuce and break Errani. That spell of Petra's best lasted the 2 points, because a replica of set one's opening service game from Kvitova began unfolding. The result was the same - another loss of the Czech serve. Clearly the work being put on the ball by Errani concerned Kvitova, and it affected her mentally. Her confidence to play attacking tennis had dissipated and no effective defence contingency seemed prepared.

Errani held serve then increased her volume in line with her tennis to break Kvitova again with wonderful anticipation and returning for 3-1. The next two games went with serve, but Petra was made to work hard to hold and at 4-2 Errani maintained the whip hand in the set. The mental drive to take her into the semi finals helped Kvitova for once give evidence of the difference in rankings when she steadied in the crisis to break back in the seventh game and have the chance to level with her next serve.

Petra in these last few games lifted her game out of the ordinary and into the spectacular and her racquet made tremendous music while her opponent just made noise. Another break with class just oozing from her every movement and each swing of the racquet gave Petra Kvitova the chance to serve out a straight sets path to the semis.

A wonderful finish to the match for the number two seed - a four game stretch for which this match will be remembered. Kvitova 6-4 6-4 will play the winner of Makarova and Sharapova.