The three most decorated players from Melbourne in the Open era all won in straight sets Tuesday, with Williams starting the roll with a 6-4, 6-1 win over 2008 champion Sharapova in a rematch of last year’s final.
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Sharapova came out firing to start, taking an early 2-0 lead on Australia Day, but Williams worked her way into the match in style, saving break points at 4-4 and winning seven games in a row at one stage.
Williams’s semifinal opponent on Thursday will be No. 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, from Poland, who defeated Carla Suárez Navarro of Spain, 6-1, 6-3, in the first quarterfinal Tuesday.
The Scottish player moved into a 4-2 lead in the tiebreaker and went to match point after an ace and backhand error by Tomic.
That break seemed to take the wind out of Sharapova’s sails as the former world number one struggled to stay with Williams, as shown by her inconsistency and struggles on serve.
When it was put to her that there is clearly a big gap between her and Sharapova, Williams said: “There is”.
Sharapova’s hopes after such a tight set, one in which she had certainly had her chances, must have been boosted when the doctor was called to treat Williams. “I’m happy to have that and I’ll be ready for the semi”, she said. “He’s one of those guys who make you a better player, he’s beaten me on the biggest courts around the world”. “So I don’t think anyone can really play on that kind of level at all”.
That withdrawal, though, had another more important effect: It dropped her to No5 in the rankings and, as luck would have it, into an unusually early meeting with her nemesis, Williams.
“He’s the type of player who makes you better”.
“She presents a completely different game, an extremely exciting game”.
The momentum swinging, Sharapova manufactured two break points in the ensuing game.
Williams broke for a second time to take the first set in 55 minutes but only after the top seed had mucked up three set points, twice thundering returns into the net.
Radwanska, 26, was in serious trouble with Williams attacking her vulnerable second serve, and a double fault left her flailing 0-3 behind. “But it’s so exciting for me”, she added, on her fantastic achievement in reaching the quarter-final.
“I feel I’m playing the best I can”.
The match was a closely contested affair for around an hour, before Williams’ powerful ground strokes began to take their toll on Sharapova, who buckled under the pressure in the second set.
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and No. 7 Kei Nishikori first played at the French Open in 2010, where Djokovic won in straight sets, and the Serbian player holds a 5-2 edge overall. I mean, I never thought I was going to go out and lose in the first round, but at the same time I never thought before, I’m going to make it to the final, or anything. I’ve done everything that I didn’t want to do, you know. “This is her goal”, she said.
Federer, the 17-time grand slam champion, progressed first, beating sixth seed Tomas Berdych 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 6-4 to earn a spot in the last four at the Australian Open for a record extending 12th time. Unbelievable serve. Everything, she was going for it. Yeah, I couldn’t do much.
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The 24-year-old Reid, who is ranked No. 4 in the world, says “I’m absolutely thrilled to get through – he’s a legend of our game”.
