Williams scraps her way to the Miami semifinals

Serena Williams is a great champion, but sometimes, her biggest task is just to hang around and wait for her opponent to mentally collapse. It was certainly her job today in Miami, as a sharp-hitting Li Na gradually went to pieces from the pressure and faded away. 

In the first set, it was all Li up to the score of 5-1. Williams appeared to be having trouble moving, and I wondered if she was injured. I had to leave the match for a while, and when I returned, Li had won the set 6-4, not exactly the score I thought I would see. In the second set, Li had six break opportunities and failed to convert any of them. That looked like it might be the beginning of the end for her, and it was. 

The third set was all about Williams, as Li double-faulted, made unforced errors, and was then dominated by the five-time Miami champion. 

Next, Williams will play either her sister, Venus, or Iveta Benesova. It is highly probable, of course, that her opponent will be her sister, and she is going to have to raise the level of her game for that match. My guess is that she will.