Serena Williams headlines the women’s semifinals at the Australian Open on Thursday afternoon, a heavy favorite in a remaining field of surprises.
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She eventually walked away with a 6-4, 6-1 win.
The Pole beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-3 in a battle of players who employ guile and spin rather than power.
“Semi-final of a grand slam isn’t a bad thing”.
Novak Djokovic has easily won the first set 6-1 in his semifinal against Roger Federer on Rod Laver Arena.
The momentum swinging, Sharapova manufactured two break points in the ensuing game.
The first set was over within 22 minutes. Doesn’t matter who I’m playing, I just try to go out there and play the best I can.
But the end came quickly in the fourth.
But on Wednesday, Kerber unleashed 31 winners and dictated the points thoroughly against someone as aggressive as Azarenka, forcing her into errors time and again.
But it did not detract from her performance in the second, as she romped into a 5-0 lead before serving out to seal her passage to a seventh Australian Open semi.
“It was super intense”, Williams said of the replay of last year’s final.
“When I play better, when I’m forced to play better, I don’t know, I do well”.
“Playing someone like that you have to play with fire and intensity”.
The No. 2-ranked Murray, who has lost four finals at Melbourne Park, will meet Milos Raonic in the semifinals.
“This has been the first Grand Slam that I won back in 2008”, Djokovic said.
Williams also had to concentrate hard to hold in the ninth game, when a baby screamed loudly in the stands as she faced breakpoints. She continued her ideal streak in Australian Open semifinals, and she has won all six finals she’s contested at Melbourne Park.
“Whoever wins, we both deserve to be in the final”.
“I don’t think last year she had a big year in terms of level of play”, Mouratoglou told a pair of reporters in the player restaurant.
“If I don’t win on Saturday, I’ll still be one off”. Sharapova walked off the court with the irritation of an 18th consecutive loss to her nemesis and the knowledge that she would have to sit in front of the press and account for it all. She’s won 21 of them and is making a strong run at her 22nd, which would put her in equal standing with Steffi Graf on the list of most Grand Slam titles in the Open era.
The No.7-seeded German will play the victor of the later quarterfinal between Britain’s Johanna Konta and Chinese qualifier Zhang Shuai. Konta was the first British woman since 1983 to reach a major semifinal.
“It’s not necessarily anyone in particular”, Williams said. He hasn’t gone past the semifinals here since winning the title in 2010.
In contrast, the aces were starting to fly off the Williams racquet as she held for 3-3.
Williams’ win over Sharapova was the marquee match of the day, improving her record to 19-2 in a rivalry that goes back to 2004.
In announcing the review, ATP chairman Chris Kermode said the reports had “caused damage to the sport”, which compelled the major stakeholders in tennis – the International Tennis Federation, ATP and WTA tours, and the four Grand Slams – to take quick action to address the issue.
Australia Day fireworks were expected on court and off on day nine of the championships but Djokovic extinguished Kei Nishikori’s flame 6-3 6-2 6-4 and Williams doused every spark of a threat from Maria Sharapova to win 6-4 6-1.
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“She took out a really tough opponent in Victoria”.
