On Day 9 at the Australian Open, Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska won through to set up a semifinal clash, their first match since 2013.
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Agnieszka Radwanska has won her way through to her second Australian Open semi-final on Tuesday, but will have Serena Williams to contend with after the world No. 1 also breezed through the quarterfinal stage of the tournament.
Sharapova has won five majors, including the 2008 Australian title, and has been in three other finals at Melbourne Park.
Williams danced around the many questions about her mid-match meeting with the Australian Open medical staff, not confirming or denying speculation she played hurt to the ESPN2 telecasters. Djokovic, though, has won their last three tussles at grand slams.
Silver medallist at 2012 Olympics.
Twice he broke the Djokovic serve but each time the world No. 1 was able to break back before registering a decisive third.
“It’s obviously always frustrating. It would mean a lot to me (to win more Slams), no doubt about it”. “He’s played a lot of big matches in his career and been at the top of the game for the last few years”.
“Serena’s on a different level”. She broke back to make it level-pegging at 2-2 as the Russian’s serve faltered.
Williams has not lost to Sharapova since 2004 and she is now unbeaten in 18 matches against the Russian after winning 6-4 6-1 on Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic, who is aiming to win this title for the sixth time, defeated Kei Nishikori, who beat him in the semi-finals of the US Open in 2014, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. But then Williams, in a truly dominant display, served it out.
“She played quite explosive”, Sharapova said. Sharapova did have break points at 4-4, but when she failed to convert, the American ran off seven games in a row en route to a 6-4, 6-1 rout. The American got ahead 5-4 and closed out the set on her fourth set-point opportunity.
Although she is perhaps the greatest server of all time, Serena Williams’ superior return told the story this time.
Her coach Patrick Mouratoglou later revealed she was dizzy in the first set but managed to pull through. Sharapova said Williams was, as usual, just too good.
The 21-grand slam champion struck her 12 ace for 5-0 before Sharapova stopped the bleeding.
Sharapova never finds a way to hurt Williams. “It s the quarter-final of a Slam”, Berdych said.
In her fourth-round victory against No. 12 Belinda Bencic, the fifth-seeded Sharapova had a career-high 21 aces.
As she showed when she went out in the US Open short of her expected victory – which would have delivered her the treasured calendar slam – Williams can swing her mood as violently as her racket.
Monday’s match featured two of the world’s greatest players, yet the rivalry remains so lopsided that it’s hard to justify the hype. “I still have to win two matches”. “She’s been playing really well towards the end of the year, and already this year she’s been very consistent”, the 34-year-old added.
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“She presents a completely different game, an extremely exciting game”. “As the day went on and I chose to play, I started to focus a little better”. “I’m going to do my best, and I have nothing to lose”. She said she had an upset stomach. “This is going to be a big challenge for both of us”. “I think since the beginning of (this) tournament she plays very well”.
