Azarenka beats Stosur in thriller to enter semis

World No 1 Victoria Azarenka of Belarus beat Australian Samantha Stosur in a three-set thriller in the quarter-finals of the US Open last night to become the first semi-finalist of this edition of the season-ending tournament.

The hard-fought 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (5) win that took two hours and 17 minutes to come ensured Azarenka will retain her No 1 ranking regardless of whether or not she progresses any further in the tournament.