Australian Open: Williams dominates, wins 18th straight over Sharapova

Last year, Williams won here to kick-start a run to an nearly calendar-year Slam.

Federer will be the oldest guy to play in the Australian Open since Colin Dibley in 1979.

Williams won three majors – the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon – last year, which took her to within one of Graf’s long-time record of 22.

American tennis player Serena Williams beat out opponent Maria Sharapova to move on to this year’s Australian Open semifinals. She cuts the ball early.

The Russian had racked up a career-high 21 aces in her fourth-round match but her serve deserted her when she needed it most in the 10th game and Williams broke to win the first set before racing away with the second.

“I think this tournament in particular I’ve been trying to do different things and I’ve been having a lot of fun on the court”, she said. I know how it works up there.

An ultra-competitive opening set eventually gave way to a landslide as the world No. 1 rolled to a 6-4, 6-1 win over Maria Sharapova to advance to the Australian Open semifinals. Williams, it seems, has left more deep bruises on her old friend.

Watch Serena Williams vs Maria Sharapova online free live streaming on ESPN2 and Watch ESPN3 late tonight in North America. “I didn’t think I would have done as well as I have”, she told reporters. “She s very consistent as well”.

Sharapova hadn’t beaten Williams since 2004 but taking a 2-0 lead on a sunny day, with temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), must have given fans of the Russian, who is the world’s richest female athlete, hope. “The second week of Grand Slams, it doesn’t matter who you are playing”.

Early in the set, points were short.

She went on a five-game roll in the second to put the result beyond.

Williams’ backhand cross court clipped the net, fell over and landed on the line.

“I think if you’re serving maybe 180[km/h] against somebody else compared to Serena, that’s an ace, Against Serena, as we all know, the return is one of her great strengths”, she said.

Out came the doctor between sets, yet Williams didn’t stutter.

A sixth double fault from Sharapova saw her go down 0-40 in game eight but she steadied the ship with five consecutive points to get out of trouble and hold for 4-4.

It’s far from an irregular occurrence when they play.

Williams, who appears to be over the knee problem that disrupted her tournament preparations, admitted that she had felt “a little lethargic” at the start of the match.

Williams also had to concentrate hard to hold in the ninth game, when a baby screamed loudly in the stands as she faced breakpoints. But she added it was “inspiring”.

“It’s obviously always frustrating”, Sharapova said.

“It would mean a lot to me, no doubt about it”.

She was able to protect her own serve, and go on the attack against Sharapova’s.

After that routine win over Suárez Navarro, Radwanska settled back to watch Williams-Sharapova and said later: “But you’re used to watching those players you were watching for so many years and also playing against them so many times”.

That break seemed to take the wind out of Sharapova’s sails as the former world number one struggled to stay with Williams, as shown by her inconsistency and struggles on serve.

Next up for Murray will be No. 8 David Ferrer, a two-time semifinalist, who held off No. 10-seeded John Isner 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.