Serena Williams beats Sharapova; Federer advances to semis

Maria Sharapova plays a forehand return during her Australian Open match against Serena Williams in …

According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Williams is the clear favorite to win this match, as she has been given a money line of -450 to prevail.

The Swiss, 34, fell behind early in the first and third sets but hit back immediately both times and was dominant for the most part on serve. Sharapova is “an incredibly intense, focused player who was No. 1 and has won so many Grand Slams for a reason”.

“I feel like if it was five-all, the momentum would have been a little bit different than going into where she played a really great beginning of the second set”, Sharapova said.

The signs for Radwanska are ominous – every time the American has got past the quarter-final at Melbourne Park she has gone on to win the tournament, including a year ago when she also beat Sharapova.

– Fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska has become the first player through to the Australian Open semifinals, overpowering Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3 in the opening match at Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday.

Radwanska, who sports an 0-8 record against Williams, will need to be inspired to overcome the title-holder.

Radwanska, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2012, said she was pleased with where her game was at.

“I’ve been playing this whole week aggressively, but I didn’t start out playing that way today”.

Williams, a six-time victor at Melbourne Park, stepped up when she needed to as the two power-hitters went head to head from the baseline.

“I knew I just wanted to start playing the way I had been, which got me to the quarter-finals”, Williams said of her second-set rampage. 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.

Sharapova before the match tried to downplay her losing streak against Williams.

Williams called for the trainer at the break then bossed Sharapova around the court, grabbing a 5-0 advantage as the Russian surrendered meekly.

Despite her dismal record, Sharapova remains unfazed, insisting she is always looking to improve and that she uses the losses against the mighty American to examine what she could do better.

“She makes you go back to the drawing board, not just for me, but for many other players”, Sharapova said. She makes you work.

The 27-year-old Zhang, ranked 133rd, had considered retiring from tennis after a dismal 2015 season.

Williams had medical treatment between sets, and again in the second during a changeover, but it wasn’t clear what the problem was.

And Radwanska said she wouldn’t be as nervous this time around after reaching a Grand Slam semifinal for the fifth time.

Roger Federer has advanced to his 39th Grand Slam semifinal, beating Tomas Berdych 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4 in the Australian Open quarterfinals.

The ninth day of the Australian Open gets underway tonight as the first round of quarterfinals in the men’s and women’s singles draw will be played. The 17-time major victor is 34years, 176 days old.