NEW YORK — Flavia Pennetta made her first Grand Slam semifinal, defeating 10th-seeded Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-1 on Wednesday in an all-Italian quarterfinal at the U.S. Open.
Pennetta, ranked 83rd, hasn’t dropped a set en route to the semifinals. Next, she’ll face the winner of the quarterfinal between Victoria Azarenka and Daniela Hantuchova.
Vinci, 30, and Pennetta, 31, are two of five thirtysomethings in this year’s quarterfinals, equaling the most in the Open era at any Grand Slam.
Pennetta, who in 2009 became the first Italian woman to crack the top 10, is on the comeback from surgery on her right wrist that forced her to miss the end of last year.
She has knocked off both of Italy’s seeded players, adding this win to a second-round victory over No. 4 Sara Errani.
