Venus Williams was left ruing missed chances after losing to China’s Li Na.

It was a shock defeat for Venus in a very poor quality quarter-final which saw both players rack up 110 unforced errors.

However Venus appeared to be coming out on top, taking the first set comfortably 6-2 and going a break up several times in the second set. She served for the match at 6-2, 5-3 but inexplicably lost her way and Li Na hit back to level the match in a tiebreak.

The final set could have gone either way with nine breaks of serve in total but Li Na was the one who took her chances and sealed a 2-6, 7-6, 7-5 win which should launch her into the top ten.

It is the first time China has had two players in the semi-finals of a grand slam and could be a sign of the future with tennis a growing sport in that country.

"I don't think it has anything to do with whether I was playing good," said a disappointed Venus. "I have to give her a lot of credit for playing well and picking her game up.
"In tennis you have to close it out. It's not like there's a clock ticking and then suddenly it's over. You just have to close it out. I didn't do that today."

You can watch the women’s Australian Open semi-finals live for free on bet365. To watch, simply follow these 3 simple steps:
 
1. Go to bet365 and sign-up or register (it's free)
2. Click on Sports > Live Streaming > Tennis
3. Watch the Australian Open semi-finals for free