Serena Williams (x1) bt Maria Sharapova (x5) 6-4, 6-1. Neither has Novak Djokovic.
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It’s the second time in three years that she’s reached the final four at Melbourne Park, having advanced to the semifinals in 2014 when she lost to Dominika Cibulkova after beating defending champion Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals.
It is probably just as well that few people in sport can match Maria Sharapova’s mental strength, because her record against Serena Williams would probably have sent anyone else into meltdown long ago.
“It was super intense”, said Williams.
“Everything from here on out, every match, is a bonus for me”.
But that approach is what has helped win her 21 major titles, and Williams’ aggressive returns finally helped her convert on her fourth set point, following a heavy ground stroke to the net and putting away a volley. The American’s 6-4, 6-1 victory here yesterday over the Russian in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open extended an extraordinary sequence that dates back to 2004.
The tiebreaker will be tricky.
Sharapova has won five majors, including the 2008 Australian title, and has been in three other finals at Melbourne Park.
“It was super intense”, Williams said of the replay of last year’s final. You don’t need to spend words on his achievements – he is a great champion and someone I have a lot of respect for. “There’s a lot of tension”. Against Williams, she could only muster three in the whole match.
So it wasn’t a surprise to hear Serena Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, speak matter-of-factly about his pupil’s first-set display in the Australian Open semifinals Thursday that left Agnieszka Radwanska utterly helpless in one of the biggest stadiums in the world, Rod Laver Arena.
If Williams wins Saturday, she will tie Steffi Graf with 22 Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era, which began in 1968.
Williams clinched the first set against Radwanska in a breathtaking 20 minutes and she revealed that a strong start was her focus.
Dismissing the idea that this might be her 16th and final appearance at the year’s first Grand Slam, she said: “Hopefully not, unless you know something I don’t”.
Radwanska will have to serve very well too, especially since her serve doesn’t have the bite of Sharapova.
Her record against Williams, though, does not make for comforting reading. Williams had 13 aces, hit 31 winners to 11, and broke Sharapova’s serve four times. “I was just standing there kind of watching her playing”.
Williams said she had “no idea” whether she went on court against Sharapova with a mental edge but added: “There’s something about her game”.
“It’s motivating because she’s at a different level”. “He’s one of those guys who make you a better player, he’s beaten me on the biggest courts around the world”. The doctor’s visit seemed to work, as she stormed through the second set 6-1 to reach the semifinals.
Djokovic and Federer split their last two meetings in the ATP Finals, with Djokovic however winning the final.
The 34-year-old Federer used a full array of shots, including some vintage backhands, in his 48 winners, to avenge two losses to Berdych at Wimbledon in 2010 and the 2012 U.S. Open. “I’m very happy I was able to play this way”.
Djokovic has caused his share of pain for Federer since overtaking him in the rankings.
Sharapova broke the American in the first game and mounted a stiff challenge in the opening set but wilted in the second.
“That was a goal, to decrease the unforced errors ratio”, Djokovic said, smiling.
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Kerber won four titles last year and finished in the top 10 for the fourth straight year. It will be a good match.
