Wimbledon, England – Last year's runner-up, Agnieszka Radwanska, and giant-killer Sabine Lisicki were a pair of Wimbledon quarterfinal winners Tuesday at the All England Club.
The fourth-seeded Radwanska held off sixth-seeded Chinese star Li Na 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-2 on the grass on the famed Centre Court, where the roof had to be closed because of intermittent rain on Day 8.
Radwanska needed 2 hours, 43 minutes to stave off the 31-year-old Li, including a 65-minute opening set.
The 24-year-old Radwanska is now 5-6 lifetime against Li, including a 2-1 record at Wimbledon and 2-2 mark in Grand Slam action. The Polish star improved to 2-2 in her career Wimbledon and 2-7 in her career Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Li was this year's Australian Open runner-up to Victoria Azarenka, captured the French Open title in 2011, and was also an Aussie Open runner-up in '11. She's now 0-3 in her career Wimbledon quarters.
Radwanska reached her first-ever Grand Slam final here a year ago, losing to Serena Williams in three sets. She made history by becoming the first-ever Pole to reach a Wimbledon final and the first Polish Grand Slam finalist in 73 years (Jadwiga Jedrzejowska at the 1939 French Championships).
Meanwhile, less than 24 hours after stunning the world No. 1, defending champion and five-time overall Wimbledon titlist Williams, the 23rd-seeded Lisicki stayed hot at this fortnight and reached her second semifinal here in three years by tackling Estonian Kaia Kanepi 6-3, 6-3 in 64 minutes on Court 1. The 23-year-old German broke Kanepi four times, while the Estonian managed only one break in the setback.
Tuesday marked the first-ever meeting between Lisicki and Kanepi, who recently returned to action after being sidelined for several months because of a heel injury.
Kanepi is now 0-5 in her career Grand Slam quarterfinals, including 0-2 at Wimbledon.
The big-serving Lisicki has reached at least the quarterfinals in her last four trips to Wimbledon.
The Florida resident Lisicki will meet Radwanska for a third time on Thursday, as the two women split their first two career meetings, both on hardcourts.
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