BRISBANE, Australia, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams both won Thursday, setting up a marquee semifinal at the Brisbane International tennis tournament.
Friday's semifinal match pits the world No. 1 in Azarenka against Williams, No. 3 in the rankings but who had a sterling second half of the 2012 season. Williams owns a lopsided 11-1 career record over Azarenka and has won the last nine times they played. That includes a 5-0 mark in 2012 during which Williams topped Azarenka in the finals of the U.S. Open and the semifinals at the Olympics and Wimbledon.