The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Doha

China's Li Na, who hopes to challenge for a medal at the Beijing Olympics, and Maria Sharapova, who'll be one of the favourites in the Chinese capital, both stormed into the Qatar Open semi-finals on Friday.

Li got the better of her third top 20 victim in a row when she enjoyed a 6-3, 6-4 success against Jelena Jankovic, the world number four from Serbia to add to her wins over Anna Chakvetadze, the fifth-seeded Russian, and Shahar Peer, the 12th seeded Israeli.

The victories have carried Li to the semi-finals of this 2.5 million dollar event, the first time she has reached this stage in a tier one tournament. They also continued her great start to 2008 after taking six months off.

Asked why she was playing so well now, Li said: "Maybe because my husband just gave me a credit card - no I'm joking."

Li will now face experienced Russian Vera Zvonereva while Sharapova, who brushed aside Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki 6-0, 6-1, will tackle Agnieszka Radwanska, the Polish girl who knocked her out of the 2007 US Open.

Li's success hinged on making the first aggressive hit in the rally and striking the ball more powerfully than Jankovic, forcing her highly rated opponent to contain and defend more often.

However, in the second set it seemed that Jankovic might level things up.

Three times she had Li at 15-30 on her serve, but each time the world number 29 from Wuhan responded with some of her best tennis.

In fact her husband-coach Jiang Shan told her not to worry about how her opponent would play.

"I told him that it was so windy I can't play properly," Li admitted.

"He said: 'Just think you like windy and that will help a lot'. It did."

Li created history when she became the first Chinese singles player to reach a Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon two years ago and the first to reach the world's top 20.

Jankovic gave credit to her opponent.