Sharapova fends off Azarenka to reach final
Source: Agencies |
June 7, 2013, Friday
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DEFENDING champion Maria Sharapova bludgeoned her way past Belarussian third seed Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 to reach the French Open final yesterday.
The Russian second seed, who will take on world No. 1 Serena Williams or Italian fifth seed Sara Errani, served 12 aces and 11 double faults in a see-saw contest.
The four-time grand-slam champion dropped serve in the first game before racing through the opener in less than half an hour, spraying Court Philippe Chatrier with forehand winners.
Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, however, took the second set before there was a rain delay. The third set was a close affair and Sharapova had a chance to win it at 5-2 and serving for the match but she dropped her serve. But the Russian kept her cool after Azarenka had held serve to close in to 4-5, to take the game and the match.
Meanwhile, the French Open showdown between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic today might lack some sizzle because it's a semifinal and not the final.
Still, they both have more than enough motivation to make the match memorable.
Seven-time champion Nadal vs No. 1-ranked Djokovic carries the heft of a final, even if both players need two more victories to claim the title. Nadal bids to become the first man to win eight titles at the same grand slam event, while Djokovic seeks the only major title he has yet to win for a career grand slam.
One of them will go away disappointed today, when they meet for the 35th time. Both are mindful of the match as only the means to an end. "If you win, you didn't win anything yet," Nadal said. "It's not the final; it's the semifinals. You are not playing a match for a title. You are just playing a match to be in the final. So it's a big difference."
For partisan Parisians, Nadal-Djokovic might not even qualify as the main attraction. Popular Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is trying to become the first Frenchman in 30 years to win the Roland Garros title, and he'll play Spaniard David Ferrer in the other semifinal.
All four semifinalists advanced in straight sets, the first time that's happened at the French Open since 1948. Nadal swept Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, and less than 10 minutes later, Djokovic closed out 35-year-old Tommy Haas, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Nadal's ranking slipped during a seven-month layoff because of a knee injury, and as a result, he and Djokovic wound up in the same half of the draw. That's why they'll meet before the final at a major event for the first time since 2008.
Nadal leads Djokovic 19-15 but lost their most recent meeting in the Monte Carlo final on clay in April. Nadal has a 6-3 advantage in grand slam meetings, including 4-0 at the French Open, and he won when they met in last year's final at Roland Garros.
He wasn't looking for a rematch.
"I would prefer an easier opponent," Nadal said. "But it's Novak, and I have to accept that it's going to be a very tough match."
Only moments after beating Haas, Djokovic was thinking - and talking - about Nadal.
"I'm ready to play five sets," he said.
The Russian second seed, who will take on world No. 1 Serena Williams or Italian fifth seed Sara Errani, served 12 aces and 11 double faults in a see-saw contest.
The four-time grand-slam champion dropped serve in the first game before racing through the opener in less than half an hour, spraying Court Philippe Chatrier with forehand winners.
Two-time Australian Open champion Azarenka, however, took the second set before there was a rain delay. The third set was a close affair and Sharapova had a chance to win it at 5-2 and serving for the match but she dropped her serve. But the Russian kept her cool after Azarenka had held serve to close in to 4-5, to take the game and the match.
Meanwhile, the French Open showdown between Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic today might lack some sizzle because it's a semifinal and not the final.
Still, they both have more than enough motivation to make the match memorable.
Seven-time champion Nadal vs No. 1-ranked Djokovic carries the heft of a final, even if both players need two more victories to claim the title. Nadal bids to become the first man to win eight titles at the same grand slam event, while Djokovic seeks the only major title he has yet to win for a career grand slam.
One of them will go away disappointed today, when they meet for the 35th time. Both are mindful of the match as only the means to an end. "If you win, you didn't win anything yet," Nadal said. "It's not the final; it's the semifinals. You are not playing a match for a title. You are just playing a match to be in the final. So it's a big difference."
For partisan Parisians, Nadal-Djokovic might not even qualify as the main attraction. Popular Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is trying to become the first Frenchman in 30 years to win the Roland Garros title, and he'll play Spaniard David Ferrer in the other semifinal.
All four semifinalists advanced in straight sets, the first time that's happened at the French Open since 1948. Nadal swept Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, and less than 10 minutes later, Djokovic closed out 35-year-old Tommy Haas, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 7-5.
Nadal's ranking slipped during a seven-month layoff because of a knee injury, and as a result, he and Djokovic wound up in the same half of the draw. That's why they'll meet before the final at a major event for the first time since 2008.
Nadal leads Djokovic 19-15 but lost their most recent meeting in the Monte Carlo final on clay in April. Nadal has a 6-3 advantage in grand slam meetings, including 4-0 at the French Open, and he won when they met in last year's final at Roland Garros.
He wasn't looking for a rematch.
"I would prefer an easier opponent," Nadal said. "But it's Novak, and I have to accept that it's going to be a very tough match."
Only moments after beating Haas, Djokovic was thinking - and talking - about Nadal.
"I'm ready to play five sets," he said.
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