At age 17, Sharapova beat Williams twice in 2004, such as in the Wimbledon final – and hasn’t defeated her because.
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After a tug-of-war 9th game of the second set, which Sharapova managed to win, Williams cleaned up the final game of the match in spectacular fashion – delivering a powerful 121 miles per hour ace that sealed the deal.
Maria Sharapova of Russian Federation looks at Serena Williams of the United States of America during their match at the Wimbledon …
Beneath a cloudless sky at Centre Court on Thursday, it was immediately clear Williams’ semifinal would not final extended. “I just feel really good just to be in another final, so it’s really cool”. But a win over Garbine Muguruza in two days would also be a big step toward winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same season, something that hasn’t been done since Steffi Graf in 1988. Victory on Saturday will again give her custody of all four grand slam titles – she achieved that “Serena slam” back in 2003 – and her place in tennis history is already more than secure. Its true. Shes dominating the game for a long time.. Particularly against Sharapova, whom she’s beaten 17 times in a row.
Put simply: on a good day, she can’t be beat; on a bad day she can still find a way to win.
Williams walking out for a Wimbledon final has become a familiar sight over the last decade, even if she has not won since 2012, but she said she would still be feeling the butterflies on Saturday.
“They’re going to be in Barcelona watching me from the TV”, she said. She never faced a break point, and was pushed to deuce just once on her serve. “She is one of the best players in all these years, so it is obviously the best challenge to have”. This 6ft, extrovert young woman was full of confidence, too, with more big-name wins in Dubai earlier this year.
It may be a tall order for Muguruza to face Williams who has been there before.
Conchita Martinez was the last Spanish women’s champion in 1994 and the 21-year-old revealed she has been inspired to overcome her dislike of grass by regular chats with her compatriot. I said, “No”. I don’t want to change anything.
However, it will not be the first time that Williams and Muguruza will be facing off, both having met at the French Open past year. “I know that that’s what keeps me going forward”.
Williams credits Muguruza’s shock win on clay with motivating her to improve. She converted on her first match point with a forehand volley victor into an open court.
We know Muguruza won’t be intimidated by the sight of facing Serena Williams in a Grand Slam event – Muguruza stunned Serena in the second round of the 2014 French Open, 6-2, 6-2. “Just happy. I worked all my life to achieve this moment, so no words”.
“Garbine has been around for a while”, Williams said post-semifinal match.
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With the Spaniard serving for the match at 5-3, 40-40 up in the third, Radwanska stopped the next point mid-rally after hearing cries of “out, out” from people in her players’ box who were convinced Muguruza’s backhand landed behind the baseline.
