Li Na blows away Pennetta to reach semis

Li demolishes Pennetta to make final four at Australian Open.

Fourth seed Li Na powered into her fourth Australian Open semifinals in the past five years with a devastating display to beat Italy's Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 6-2 on Tuesday.

Li, runner-up in Melbourne in 2011 and again last year, was dominant from the off as she pounced on the Pennetta serve at every opportunity to roar into a 5-0 lead.

While the 28th seed staved off two set points in the sixth game to avoid losing the set to love and then held her serve for the first time in the seventh game, her resurgence was brief, Li taking the first set in 35 minutes when Pennetta dumped an errant forehand into the net.

The second set followed the same pattern as Li broke twice to race to a 4-0 lead, and while a succession of forehand errors from Li gifted Pennetta the fifth game, the Chinese ace regrouped and finished off the match in 67 minutes.