No. 1 seed Victoria Azarenka eliminated No. 3 Maria Sharapova in the semifinals of the women's draw at the 2012 U.S. Open on Friday, coming back after dropping the first set to win the match, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Momentum in the match swung back and forth, with both women showing intensity and emotion as things unfolded. Sharapova had the advantage on serves, picking up eight aces to Azarenka's none, but she also had more double faults, 10 to Azarenka's five. Azarenka came out way ahead on unforced errors, making just 19 while Sharapova racked up 42, and the No. 1 won more total points, 103 to 96.
Azarenka now advances to the U.S. Open final for the second time in her career. She will face either Serena Williams or Sara Errani, depending on the outcome of their match.
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