Serena demolishes Radwanska to make final in Australia

Ahead of the Williams-Sharapova showdown, Radwanska, a semi-finalist a year ago, said she did not mind who she faced in the last-four clash on Thursday.

Williams’ imposing form through the first week of the Open has cast aside her pre-tournament queries.

“So he’s playing some terrific tennis on the hard court.

I was just standing there kind of watching her playing”, Radwanska added. I won against a top-10 player in straight sets. I mean, it’s motivating. After 21 minutes, Serena had won the first set 6-0. Physically I’m feeling better than previous year but mentally I need a break after the US Open. “Her serve… you can not do anything”.

In her first tournament since being tripped up at this stage during last year’s U.S. Open, the world No. 1 and defending Australian Open champion sprinted by No. 4 seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-0, 6-4.

It is a familiar tale of the two biggest female names in sport, with the American still unbeaten against her rival since 2004.

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

“She started playing really well in the second set, making a lot of great shots and hitting the ball deep”.

Her performance was so complete, 18-time major victor Chris Evert asked her fellow TV commentators on ESPN, “How can you say she’s not the greatest of all time when she plays like this?” “It just feels so good; I didn’t think that I would do this well this fast”.

“It is inspiring, especially (considering) I have had very good run, I have so many good matches coming here”, Radwanska said, “Then you go on court and you lose 6-0 in 20 minutes”.

The unseeded Brit got the seat back on level terms, only for the German to snare the crucial break in the 11th game.

The Russian had opportunities, most notably with two break points at the end of the first set, but Williams delivered at the decisive moment and it was one-way traffic thereafter. At 4-all Williams broke free again, hitting a swinging forehand volley victor to earn break point and capitalizing on the opportunity. He won the first set in 22 minutes.

Radwanksa said there will little she could do in the first set to combat Williams, “she started unbelievable, with such a power and speed. At the start of the second set I wanted to play the way I have been doing to get to the quarter-finals”.

Sharapova broke to open the match but Williams held in the third game and broke back to level at 2-2.

In announcing the review, ATP chairman Chris Kermode said the reports had “caused damage to the sport”, which compelled the major stakeholders in tennis – the International Tennis Federation, ATP and WTA tours, and the four Grand Slams – to take quick action.

Kerber will play Serena Williams in the final on Saturday.

While she needed a medical time-out during her routine dismissal of Maria Sharapova, the world No. 1 also insists the food poisoning that troubled her a few days prior is in the past. With several big serves, she quickly found herself at 40-0.

“I think if you’re serving maybe 180 (kph) against somebody else compared to Serena, that’s an ace”, said the 28-year-old.