TNT Sports
Serena silences Sharapova
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Published 27/01/2005 at 06:37 GMT
Serena Williams gained revenge for last year's Wimbledon and WTA Championship final defeats, with a 2-6 7-5 8-6 triumph over Russian Maria Sharapova in an epic Australian Open semi-final on Thursday. The seventh seeded needed two hours 39 minutes to reach
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As Williams completed another remarkable comeback, the 23-year-old jumped and screamed her delight.
For it was in her championships year of 2003 that the younger Williams sister saved two match points in her semi-final against Belgian Kim Clijsters, battling back from 1-5 down in the third set to win.
"I've had a lot of great wins on this court, two times in a row I've been down match point to win. This is such a special court for me," explained Williams afterwards.
"I'm just so excited to be through to another final, it's been such a tough 12 months," she said.
NERVY ENCOUNTER
Sharapova broke Williams in the fourth and sixth games to take a 4-1 first set lead and slammed three aces past the six-time major champion.
The second set went on serve until the ninth game, when Sharapova's never-say-die attitude in scrambling impossible balls helped her break Williams with an angled crosscourt backhand.
The world number four then served for the match, but Williams hit back for the first time in the match when the Russian double faulted on break point. Two games later, following a shanked Sharapova forehand, the set went the American's way.
Williams saved three match points, when Sharapova served for the match in the 10th games of the second and third sets
Both times Williams held her nerve to break back.
The 2003 champion was flat at the start but battled her way past the 17-year-old Russian in a tense struggle in the third set, breaking Sharapova to 15 in the final game with a backhand winner.
INTO PERSPECTIVE
In her post-match press conference, Sharapova said: "I thought it was a great match. I gave it all I've got and she gave it all she's got. The match could have gone any way."
"I played from my heart. I didn't take my chances when I could and that's what this game is about. If you don't take your chances, you lose."
Williams, who secured the last of major titles at Wimbledon in 2003, will top seed Lindsay Davenport or 19th seed Nathalie Dechy of France in the final on Saturday.
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