Wozniacki ends Serena's dreamKEY BISCAYNE, Florida — Venus Williams looked weary Wednesday after winning three consecutive three-set matches as she lost to Agnieszka Radwanska in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open, 6-4, 6-1. Venus' serve lacked its usual speed, and by the final game she wasn't even chasing after shots in the corner. The tournament was Venus' first since the US Open last August, when she withdrew after being diagnosed with a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease. Eager to keep points short in the 85-degree sunshine, Venus charged the net often but frequently had to lunge for shots. She committed 38 unforced errors and won only five of 26 points on her second serve. Venus is ranked No. 134 and projected to climb next week back into the top 90. On Tuesday, Serena Williams' bid for a record sixth Key Biscayne title ended when she lost in the quarterfinals to former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, 6-4, 6-4. “I made her run,” Wozniacki said. Wozniacki served well and was content to keep the ball in play from the baseline, using her retrieving skills to extend rallies until Serena would make a mistake. Serena hit 34 winners to 12 for Wozniacki, but also committed 36 unforced errors to the Dane's 13. “Everyone I play always plays the match of the year,” Serena said. Serena, seeded 10th, was playing in her first tournament since January after being sidelined by a left ankle injury. She hasn't won a title since August. Rafael Nadal swept five consecutive games midway through his match, propelling him to a 6-4, 6-4 win over Kei Nishikori to reach the quarterfinals. Nadal, a three-time runner-up at Key Biscayne, lost the final last year to Novak Djokovic, and they could meet again Sunday. The top-ranked Djokovic reached the final eight by beating No. 17-seeded Richard Gasquet 7-5, 6-3. No. 2 Maria Sharapova became the first semifinalist when she drubbed reigning French Open champion Li Na 6-3, 6-0. Sharapova had lost their previous four meetings. “I just really wanted to change that,” she said, “so I was extremely focused and, you know, looking forward to the match.” Like Nadal, Sharapova seeks her first Key Biscayne title. She lost the final in 2005, 2006 and last year. No. 4 Andy Murray, No. 5 David Ferrer and No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also won in straight sets. No. 8 Mardy Fish edged No. 12 Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3. Fish was relegated to the grandstand court for the third consecutive match rather than the stadium, even though he's the top-ranked American man, but the slight didn't faze him. Less than 24 hours after his upset win over Federer, Andy Roddick endured a drubbing against Juan Monaco, 7-5, 6-0. For Roddick, the performance was a big comedown after he beat Federer for only the third time in 24 tries, temporarily silencing critics who say he should consider retirement.
