And yet by playing below her best in a quarter-final against Sharapova, Williams delivered a timely reminder of her talent ahead of Saturday’s decider. The Spaniard won’t be fancied against Radwanska, but having beaten the fourth seed on the hard courts of Miami a year ago she will know that a victory is possible.
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This year’s quarter-finals meeting will serve as a rematch for last year’s final at Melbourne Park when Williams won her sixth Australian Open title in straight sets 6-3, 7-6 and also for last year’s Wimbledon semi-final when Williams was again victorious in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.
“It’s motivating because she’s at a different level”, the five-time grand slam victor said.
Serena Williams will be looking to go one step closer to her seventh Australian Open title with a win today, after starting her first tournament of the year in fine style.
Williams has yet to drop a set down under and had only dropped eight total games in her previous three matches.
The Swiss, who is mentored by Martina Hingis, was one of the few players to beat Williams past year but this was her first encounter with Sharapova. Keep getting to the point where I have an opportunity to play against her. Keep finding a way to turn that around.
Growing into the match, Williams piled the pressure on Sharapova’s serve but the Russian came from 0-40 down in the eighth game to scrape a gutsy hold.
“No, I’m joking. Definitely I was very impressed how she served, probably she’s serving the best now in this moment”.
“These are the players that will ultimately take our spot”, Sharapova said of Bencic after needing 2hr 5min to get past the world No. 13. “I think I showed everybody that I deserve it. That’s a good feeling”.
“I feel if I can just continue to play well, then it could be good”, the six-times champion said after celebrating her victory with a graceful twirl.
On Tuesday, Federer will meet No. 6 seed Tomas Berdych, whose beat Roberto Bautista Agut 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 in 3 hours and 18 minutes. “She doesn’t give you many angles”.
“I know Aga really well”, she said.
“Absolutely. It’s not like I think about what I can do worse!” she said.
Despite all of those achievements, Serena recently expressed that she feels lonely at The Australian Open this year, The Guardian reported.
“I got myself into the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam”, Sharapova told the Associated Press on Monday. However, it was Williams’ aggressive returns that helped her win the match. “It’s only going to be tougher – especially against Serena”, she said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Radwanska became the first woman through to the Open semi-finals when she defeated Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-3.
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In men’s doubles action, Canadian Vasek Pospisil and American partner Jack Sock lost their quarter-final match to Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas in three sets.
