STANFORD, California (AFP) – – Australian Samantha Stosur stunned US top seed Serena Williams 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals of the 700,000-dollar WTA Bank of the West Classic.

Stosur snapped the 11-time Grand Slam champion’s nine-match win streak and booked a berth Saturday against the winner of a later match between Serbian fourth seed Jelena Jankovic and French eighth seed Marion Bartoli.

Williams, the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, had won both prior meetings against Stosur but struggled from the start and was foiled in her comeback bid at the 700,000-dollar hardcourt event.

Russian third seed Elena Dementieva ousted Slovakia’s Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 6-4 to reach a Saturday semi-final against the winner of a later match between US second seed Venus Williams and Russia’s Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova is 3-2 lifetime against Venus, winning most recently at Miami in 2007. Venus took her only wins over Sharapova at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2007.

Venus Williams, whose seven Grand Slam titles include five Wimbledon crowns, faces three-time Slam winner Sharapova as the Russian beauty queen is on the rebound from right shoulder surgery.

Source: AFP