ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Top-ranked Serena Williams advanced to the semifinals of the WTA Championships by sweeping past Petra Kvitova 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday.Superstar Supercolor Azul . Williams, the defending champion, won all three matches in her group without dropping a set. Shes bidding for her fourth title in the elite, eight-women tournament. Earlier, Li Na outlasted Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 for her second victory in two matches and eight-seeded Angelique Kerber upset No. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska 6-2, 6-2 to remain in contention for the semifinals. Radwanska was eliminated. Kerber went 0-3 last year in the tournament and this was her first win in the event. She will play Kvitova on Friday for a slot in the last four. Williams needed to win only a set to qualify and she breezed through the first despite fighting off three break points in the very first game. She quickly warmed up to overwhelm the fifth-seeded Kvitova, who won Wimbledon and the WTA title in 2011. Kvitova had to withdraw last year because of injury. "Something told me to hold serve in that game, and Im glad I did," Williams said. "Could have definitely changed things. I could still be out there. I really just dug deep and tried to hold. "When I play top players or a Grand Slam winner, such as Kvitova who has such a dangerous game, youve got to go in there knowing that anything can happen, and I have to be really focused." Williams did not stop after the first set and broke serve again for a decisive 3-1 lead in the second. Williams set up a match point with a service winner and won when Kvitovas return sailed into the net. She finished with 11 aces. "I think her serve is really big, so I knew I wanted to hold. I served well," said Williams, who has never lost to Kvitova in five matches. Williams, 32, is enjoying the finest season in her career, having already won 10 titles. She added the French Open and U.S. Open titles to bring her Grand Slam record to 17 championships and is 76-4 for the year. Making her eighth appearance in the event, Williams is looking to become the first player to successfully defend the title since Justine Henin in 2007. Henin was also the last to win 10 titles in a season, in 2007. Williams has clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking for the third time in her career after 2002 and 2009. The key to Lis victory in an error-filled match full of long rallies was her break of serve in the third set for a 4-3 lead. She never looked behind again, winning the last three games. Jankovic hit a backhand into the net on Lis second match point. The fourth-seeded Li has a 2-0 record in the White Group and looks likely to advance to the semifinals for the first time. Seventh-seeded Jankovic is 1-1. Jankovic is back in the tournament for the first time in three years. The two of them and Victoria Azarenka are vying to make the semis. "It was tight, yeah, but at least its better than the last two years," said Li, who won only once in 2011 and 2012. She was pleased to add she had one foot in the semis but her other foot was "still out of the door." Kerber is 1-1 in the Red Group. Radwanska fell to 0-3. "Im feeling good," Kerber said. "I was really playing very well today ... I was focused from the first point." Li holds a 6-4 career edge over her Serbian friend, but she had to work hard for her win. Both players were inconsistent and error-prone. Li had 45 unforced errors and 21 winners, Jankovic 36 unforced errors and 17 winners. "We had a great fight," Jankovic said. "In the third set it was just a couple of points. I got broken in that (seventh) game. She lobbed me, and the ball went on the line." Li followed the lob with a crisp backhand winner to take the game. "They were the crucial points at that stage and made a difference," Jankovic said. Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 España . Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. Adidas Superstar Baratas España . It started with pregame standing ovations for the leaders of the Celtics last championship team and ended with an 85-79 win for the Brooklyn Nets after Garnett picked off Rajon Rondos turnover and dribbled in slowly for an uncontested basket with 20 seconds left Sunday night.LYTHAM ST. ANNES, England - Rory McIlroys errant drive struck a teenage spectator on the head in the first round at the British Open on Thursday, leading to the Northern Irishman making double-bogey to drop off the leaderboard. McIlroys tee shot at No. 15 went way left, hitting 16-year-old Jason Blue of Bristol, England, and leaving him dazed on the ground.Adidas Superstar Rojas. After his head was bandaged, Blue received a signed glove from the worlds second-ranked player. The ball ended up out of bounds next to a portable trailer, and McIlroy had to take a one-stroke penalty and tee off again. He made a 6 to slip to 1-under, five shots behind leader Adam Scott. Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '
