Pe'er breaks Garbin in the second game of the contest and breezed away to a quick 3-0 lead.
By SHARON SOLOMONshahar peer key biscayne(photo credit: AP)
Shahar Pe'er has done it in style. Israel's leading tennis export, currently ranked No. 16 in the world, has now qualified for the WTA Sony Ericsson Open semifinal with a convincing 6-0, 6-3 win over Italian Tathiana Garbin (25) Wednesday in Miami.
The players got the game going under the scorching sun, with Pe'er wasting no time and making her mark. She broke Garbin in the second game of the contest and breezed away to a quick 3-0 lead, thanks to some impressive baseline play and clever percentage play. Garbin was limited by a thigh injury.
Garbin tried to change her game plan and switched to chip-and-charge tactics, but Pe'er responded well and had no problem in making the required adjustments. Pe'er kept playing the ball deep and crossed Garbin on numerous occasions to clinch the first set 6-0 after just 29 minutes.
Pe'er kept up the dominating pressure in the second set.
The Israeli, seeded 14th, took a convincing 3-0 lead and sealed the game. She needed only 69 minutes to win 6-0, 6-3 and advance to the next round.
Pe'er will now play the winner of the game between Serena Williams and Nicole Vaidisova.
Pe'er has developed a healthy sporting rivalry with Williams over the past two seasons, with their last meeting coming in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Williams prevailed in three sets and went on to win the tournament.
