Williams and Sharapova meet on Thursday in the latest instalment of a bitter rivalry that took root on Centre Court in 2004 and still festers more than a decade later.
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She will be heavily favoured to reach an eighth Wimbledon final given her dominance against Sharapova, who will need every trick up her sleeve to beat the American for the first time in 11 years.
At the age of 17, Sharapova caused a Wimbledon sensation when she crushed Williams 6-1 6-4 in the final, and she followed that up with a second victory in Los Angeles at the end of the season.
Fans and celebrities alike watching at home took to Twitter to vent their frustration.
“And if you look at Grand Slam champions, you look at their draws, everyone comes from a few challenges, being down in matches”.
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The Belarussian had a break point in the next game but Williams responded with a backhand victor, held serve, and then won the next three games to level the match. McEnroe also added that tennis is the only sport with equal advantages between men and women, but although there is a good chance for other women to have great success at tennis in the future, it is unlikely they will leave a mark like these sisters have.
It said much about their relationship that Sascha Bajin, Williams’s hitting partner and confidant for eight years, could defect to join Azarenka and the move not generate a whit of unpleasantness.
When she sealed the first set with a clean-as-a-whistle forehand pass a fourth career win from 20 matches against Williams looked not only possible, but likely.
Gasquet, a ex- world junior champion who has fallen short of the heights expected of him, served for the match at 5-3 in the fifth set but fourth seed Wawrinka broke back, gesturing with a finger pointed to his head that he had the mental edge.
Williams admitted she saves her best performances for clashes against Maria Sharapova and that the Russian brings out the best in her.
Top-seeded Serena Williams hits a return during 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory over No. 23 Victoria Azarenka at Wimbledon on Tuesday in the quarterfinals in London.
“I love playing Maria”, Williams said as reported by CNN.
“I would do anything, anything to beat Serena and win Grand Slams”, said Azarenka.
“I’m so exhausted of these questions all the time”. And why not? She knows that she has to win this and not succumb to another loss just because her opponent is the better player.
The quarterfinal match is being played on Court 1, and the victor will face Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. “So we’ll see what happens, but I’m just happy to still be here”.
Azarenka is seeded 23rd after an injury-plagued period, but the Belarusian has twice come close to defeating Serena in the last two months, failing to convert on three match points and losing in the round of 16 in Madrid and then losing a 6-3, 4-2 lead in the third round of the French Open.
But Sharapova insisted she was doing nothing out of the ordinary.
“I was thinking that I am 33 and she just turned 35”.
(AP Photo/Alastair Grant). Garbine Muguruza of Spain celebrates winning the singles match against Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland, at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Tuesday July 7, 2015.
I havent seen her play like this, honestly, said Azarenka, who has lost 17 of 20 matches against Williams and all 10 meetings at majors, including after leading by a set and a break at the French Open in May.
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Radwanska, the 2012 runner-up, eliminated No. 21 Madison Keys of the United States 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-3.
