“I’m really excited about it because I didn’t want to talk about the “Serena Slam””, said Williams, lifting her self-imposed embargo on all talk of records.
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Radwanska glared at her box, Muguruza punched the air in relief and seconds later she was flat on her face celebrating victory.
Double faults are a familiar flaw for Sharapova, but three in the opening game handed an early break and the initiative to her opponent.
She said: “To have Serena in the Wimbledon final I think is the hardest match you can have”. I don’t think it’s limited to Wimbledon.
Having brushed aside Sharapova, Williams can now firmly focus on Saturday’s final, where she will attempt to overcome young Spaniard Garbine Muguruza to complete the “Serena Slam” for a second time and land a 21st major.
After her fourth-round loss, Wozniacki (who despite being a ex- world No. 1 has never won a grand slam title) noted “different” standards at Wimbledon when it came to which matches got scheduled on the show courts.
Williams improved to 18-2 all-time against Sharapova, last losing to her in the final of the 2004 Tour Championships (Sharapova also defeated Williams in that year’s Wimbledon final for the first of her five Grand Slam titles).
“I got a bit nervous because it was a semi-final and it’s a long time since I’ve been this far”, said Williams, who last reached the Wimbledon final in i2012.
Muguruza pulled off a stunning upset to defeat Williams 6-2 6-2 in the French Open’s round of 64 in 2014 – a loss still fresh in the American’s mind. The way that she plays Azarenka, myself, maybe a few others, she has to bring it on the line. A victory here and at the U.S. Open later this summer would make her the first woman to win a single-season Grand Slam since Steffi Graf in 1988.
From a set and 3-1 ahead, Muguruza dropped six successive games, direction on her hard-hitting becoming haphazard and Radwanska becoming more solid, encouraged by sudden fallibility across the net.
“I think it s always a new match”.
Together, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have earned more than $100 million in prize money, with the glamorous duo boosting that lofty total through endorsements – especially the latter, who is habitually named the world’s richest female athlete.
On facing Muguruza in the final: “It’s great for her and great for me…”
“I don’t expect that and I’m sure you don’t either”.
But Sharapova says she won’t resort to panic measures in her quest to overcome Williams who can achieve the “Serena Slam” of holding all four majors at the same time if she beats Garbine Muguruza in Saturday’s final. And she’s given me problems in the past. After delivering 17 aces in three sets against Azarenka in the quarterfinals, Williams tallied 13 against Sharapova. “It’s not going to be an easy match, so I’ll be fighting a lot”. If she can, she has the weapons, particular on her serve and forehand, to win.
Another drive-volley victor sealed the two-hour tussle, Muguruza then dropping her racket and falling face first onto the grass.
Had Radwanska not challenged, she would have won the point as the Spaniard had continued playing and hit her next shot out.
As an enthralling duel neared its conclusion the 21-year-old Muguruza was serving at deuce, 5-3 and thumped a deep drive that Poland’s Radwanska scrambled back before stopping mid-rally to challenge after hearing shouts of “out” from her coaching team.
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“I did the whole presentation, I did the whole walk around the court; I was peaceful, feeling really good”.
