Normal service finally resumed at the Brisbane International tennis tournament on Thursday when world No.1 Victoria Azarenka cruised through her quarter-final.
The reigning Australian Open champion booked a potential semi-final showdown with Serena Williams with a crushing 6-1 6-0 win over Kazakh qualifier Ksenia Pervak in just over an hour.
Breaking Pervak’s serve seven times, Azarenka defied the giant-killing trend at the season-opening tournament which had claimed six of the top eight seeds including world No.5 Angelique Kerber.
Fourth-seeded German Kerber went down 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-3) in her quarter-final to Russian world No.36 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Thursday to ensure there will be at least one unseeded finalist.
Pervak opened the tournament with an upset win over former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki.
But Azarenka ensured there were no more upsets on Thursday, taking just 68 minutes to thrash the qualifier.
Meanwhile, Pavlyuchenkova – a Brisbane semi-finalist two years ago – set up a last-four clash with Ukrainian lucky loser Lesia Tsurenko.
Tsurenko, who replaced the injured world No.2 Maria Sharapova (collarbone), downed former world No.5 Daniela Hantuchova 6-3 6-4 in just over an hour-and-a-half.
“For the first time in my life, I am a lucky loser and it’s really surprising for me to take the spot of Maria Sharapova,” Tsurenko said.
“I’m just enjoying now. That’s my chance. I’m just taking it.”