New York: Ekaterina Makarova reached her first Grand Slam semi-final, beating Victoria Azarenka in straight sets Wednesday at the US Open.
The 26-year-old Russian won 6-4, 6-2 after losing her previous four major quarter-finals.
"I'm feeling amazing," she said. "Finally I'm in a semifinal."
The players were 16th and 17th in the seedings but came in with very different resumes. Azarenka is a two-time Australian Open champion who lost to Serena Williams in the last two US Open finals.
But her ranking slipped after a season interrupted by injuries. She often looked shaky against qualifier Aleksandra Krunic in the fourth round but eked out a three-set victory.
Makarova, meanwhile, upset Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard in straight sets. On Wednesday, she took full advantage of Azarenka's mistakes, the lefty's deep groundstrokes keeping on pressure.
Unusually subdued for most of the match, Azarenka smashed her racket after one of her 27 unforced errors gave Makarova a break and a 4-2 lead in the second set.
Makarova had lost to Lucie Safarova in straight sets in the Wimbledon quarterfinals this summer. She has yet to drop a set at Flushing Meadows.
Her semi-final opponent could be Williams. The two-time defending champ faces 11th-seeded Flavia Pennetta to open the night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
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