Serena Sweeps Past Sharapova in Straight Sets

“It was super intense, she’s an incredibly intense, focused player, she’s won so many grand slams for a reason”, Williams said.

Meanwhile, Radwanska booked her spot in the Australian Open semifinals for the second time, winning over Carla Suárez Navarro 6-1, 6-3 in the first match of the day on Rod Laver Arena. “She makes you go back to the drawing board, not just for me, but for many other players”, she said. She continued her flawless streak in Australian Open semifinals, and she has won all six finals she’s contested at Melbourne Park.

Jamie Murray and Brazil’s Bruno Soares advanced to the doubles final with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Adrian Mannarino and Lucas Pouille and will next meet Daniel Nestor and Radek Stepanek, who beat Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers 7-6 (11), 6-4.

She has never won a major.

She is in her seventh Australian Open final, her 26 th Major final.

Sharapova served a career-best 21 aces against Belinda Bencic in the previous round but failed to penetrate Williams, who broke twice in each set.

The chirping intensified as Williams served in the sixth game of the second set, and she looked up angrily after her off-balance forehand from the baseline conceding her only service break of the match.

A net cord prevented Sharapova from sealing the hold and a lengthy game ensued in which Williams carved out four set points.

It was Serena’s 18th consecutive win over Sharapova – she hasn’t lost to the Russian since 2004 – and further showed the gap between a healthy Williams and the rest of the world’s top women’s players. The second set turned into a nightmare for the five-time Grand Slam champion as Williams unleashed the full force of her power.

She put on an exemplary exhibition of shot-making and aggressive tennis, backing Sharapova down and making her chances count.

Italy’s Roberta Vinci, however, knocked out the world number one in the semi-finals, which also ended the American’s year as she took a few months off to recover from injuries and deal with the mental anguish of having missed the calendar grand slam.

In her 16th Australian Open, Williams, who said this week she had no plans to retire any time soon, got on the front foot immediately, and effortlessly.

The German lefty said that she is actually looking forward to playing the final against Serena, that she is looking forward to the challenge, that she will give her best and that she has nothing to lose.

“I don’t think anyone can really play on that kind of level at all”. “She’s a really nice girl. Really got me on the back foot”, Sharapova said. I won against a top-10 player in straight sets.

He came up with the big plays while facing break points in the first two sets, and only dropped serve in two exchanges of breaks in the third.

But in tennis, it’s all about who wins the last point and for the 18th straight meeting, it was Williams who was happier at the handshake. “When I play better, when I’m forced to play better, I don’t know, I do well”, said the 34-year-old Williams.

Sharapova was struggling with her serve and the double faults continued, but she crucially held from 0-40 down in the eighth game. “Against Serena, as we all know, the return is one of her great strengths”.

“I feel I am playing the best I can, and I can’t believe I am in the final”. “I think most will say, “okay, Serena will win'”.