Serena Williams cruised into the semi-final stage of the Australian Open with a straight sets win (6-4 6-1) against Maria Sharapova in Melbourne.
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Reigning champion Serena Williams ramped up the power in the second set to vanquish fifth seed Maria Sharapova for the 18th match in a row and reach the semi-finals of the Australian Open with a 6-4 6-1 victory on Tuesday.
Williams, who played her first Grand Slam at the 1998 Australian Open, said she had surprised even herself by continuing to play well into her thirties.
Her grip on the title looks unlikely to be threatened in the semi-finals by world number four Agnieszka Radwanska, who has lost all eight of her matches against the world number one.
The five-time grand slam victor fended off three consecutive break points at 3-4, prompting Sharapova to roar “come on” and her coach, Sven Groeneveld, to leap out of his chair in the players’ box at Rod Laver Arena.
“She played quite explosive”.
Although she is perhaps the greatest server of all time, Serena Williams’ superior return told the story this time. “Yeah”, Sharapova added in the same report.
It dates back to 2004 when she last beat her in the Wimbledon final. However, she hasn’t given up hope yet and reveals that Williams is infact “inspiring”. She’s beaten me before, too, and pretty good. “She doesn’t give you many angles”.
Williams is the red-hot favourite to defeat Kerber but, despite not losing a set in her first six matches, insisted she wasn’t unstoppable and that underestimating the German would be a big mistake.
But that approach is what has helped win her 21 major titles, and Williams’s aggressive returns finally helped her convert on her fourth set point, following a heavy ground stroke to the net and putting away a volley.
Although Williams was taking medical treatments between sets and in the second half, she didn’t let it affect her performance in any way.
While her record against Williams is not yet on the scale of Sharapova, it is still dismal. Admittedly fried both mentally and physically, Williams then took four months off. When she returned in Melbourne, Williams retired from her first match at the Hopman Cup, citing knee inflammation, and eventually pulled out of the event.
Williams also had to concentrate hard to hold in the ninth game, when a baby screamed loudly in the stands as she faced breakpoints.
The five-time major victor came into the opening Grand Slam of the year with a niggling forearm problem that forced her to pull out of the warm-up Brisbane International. “Hopefully I can play my best tennis or I’ll be in trouble”, said the popular 26-year-old, who is on a 13-match win streak.
Williams played an insanely quick first set, needing only 20 minutes to hand Radwanska the bagel. I didn’t rest good.
“I like the way she hits the ball”, Williams said.
The win makes Federer the oldest man since 1979 to reach the Australian Open semifinals.
“Last few days were very, very tough”.
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The Sharapova serve, which was at its most consistent best in this tournament, having served 52 aces before today, was at fault a lot today. Then I’m not sure. The Melbourne Park top seed, who next faces Agnieszka Radwanska, is proud to still be playing and at the top of her game.
