By Sean Farrell, special to EmiratesUSOpenSeries.

 

MONTREAL - Caroline Wozniacki apologized to the Uniprix Stadium crowd after bringing an end to hometown favorite Aleksandra Wozniak's run at the Rogers Cup.

 

The 2010 champion made her comments after her 6-4, 6-4 quarterfinal win over Wozniak on Saturday night. Wozniacki then invited the Montreal fans to back her the rest of the way, beginning with Sunday's semifinal against Petra Kvitova.

 

"First of all, I just need a really good night of sleep tonight," said Wozniacki, who beat Varvara Lepchenko hours earlier in a third-round match that had been postponed by Friday's rain.

 

Wozniacki received treatment on her right knee early in the second set of her 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Lepchenko.

 

"My legs feel quite tired but I have quite a few hours to get ready," she said. "Petra has been playing really well, as well, winning comfortably. It's not going to be easy. I still have that match to overcome before I even think about the finals."

 

That match will follow the other semi-final between China's Li Na and Lucie Safarova of Russia.

 

"She's a top player and playing really strong, strong groundstrokes," Safarova said. "Well, I have nothing to lose [on Sunday]. I will just go there and try to play my tennis, try to take her time away and use my lefty serve, lefty hand, and let's see how it goes."

 

Li managed to win her quarterfinal against second-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 6-2, 6-1 before the rain came again Saturday.

 

Safarova wasn't as lucky. She had to wait out yet another delay before facing Italy's Roberta Vinci.

 

"We were actually almost going on and I was already warming up, and I was like, no way, again!" said Safarova, who won 6-2, 7-6 (7). "But it's like I was just hoping that this clearing will come, and I'm really happy that we finished the match today, because it would be, to play two singles matches in one day, it's really tough."

 

Bad weather factored into Wozniacki's previous win in Montreal.

 

She defeated Vera Zvonareva in the 2010 Rogers Cup final after winning her semifinal against Svetlana Kuznetsova earlier in the day as that year's edition of the tournament was plagued by heavy rain.

 

As for Wozniak, she met her customary roadblock in Wozniacki. The 24-year-old native of Blainville, Quebec, has now lost eight of nine career matches against the 22-year-old Dane.

 

"It feels like she always wants to win," Wozniacki said. "Definitely, I think she always comes up with her best tennis against me."

 

Despite the weather, Wozniak said she had enjoyed a beautiful week at home. She realized a childhood dream in becoming the first Canadian woman to reach the tournament's quarterfinals since Patricia Hy-Boulais in 1992. 

 

"It means so much to me, since I was a little girl, coming always with my parents and watching the best here," Wozniak said. "It's unbelievable that I became a professional. I accomplished that dream. Today I made the quarterfinals. I wish I could have been there, come back (Sunday). But I played a great player again. Hopefully next time it's going to be mine against Caroline."