Azarenka charges into Tashkent semi

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Sports Network) - Top-seeded Belarusian Victoria Azarenka highlighted Friday's quarterfinal winners at the $145,000 Tashkent Open.
The 18-year-old Azarenka erased qualifier Ksenia Palkina of Kyrgyzstan 6-2, 6-1 at Tashkent Tennis Centre. Azarenka won the mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open last month.
Azarenka's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be fourth-seeded Russian Elena Vesnina, who outlasted fifth-seeded Romanian Ioana Raluca Olaru 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 on Day 5 here.
The other semifinal will pit third-seeded Belarusian Olga Govortsova against France's Pauline Parmentier, as Govortsova grounded Britain's Katie O'Brien 6-2, 6-3, while Parmentier pasted Tashkent's own Akgul Amanmuradova 6-4, 6-3.
The 2007 champion here will claim $21,165.