Wickmayer brings more joy to Belgium by reaching semis

Yanina Wickmayer put Belgium on the forefront of grand slam tennis once again when she surged past Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5, 6-4 to reach the US Open semi-finals on Wednesday.

New York: Yanina Wickmayer put Belgium on the forefront of grand slam tennis once again when she surged past Kateryna Bondarenko 7-5, 6-4 to reach the US Open 2009 semi-finals on Wednesday.

A day after Kim Clijsters booked a last-four date with Serena Williams, unseeded Wickmayer sparked further celebrations in the European country when she made it through to her first major semi. "Playing semis in a grand slam is amazing. Before this my best (performance) was (to reach) a second round so this is amazing," the 19-year-old said in a courtside interview on a half-empty Arthur Ashe Stadium. Wickmayer was a point away from going 5-1 down in the second but after staving off break point, she flattened Bondarenko by winning five successive games and sealed victory when the Ukrainian netted a forehand. The Belgian`s triumph guaranteed an all-teen semi-final as she will either face 17-year-old American darling Melanie Oudin or 19-year-old Dane Caroline Wozniacki. Bureau Report