A delightfully competitive first set gave way to one-way traffic on Tuesday as Serena Williams answered the Maria Sharapova query for an 18th straight time.
Williams, the world No. 1, withstood a steady challenge from Sharapova in a 55-minute first set and then blew the match open, winning 6-4, 6-1 to book her place in the Australian Open semi-finals.
Williams has never looked back after these two players engaged in a classic semi-final here in 2005, the American winning her first of 18 in a row 2-6, 7-5, 8-6.
Their quarterfinal Tuesday was a re-match of last year’s championship, which Williams won in two tight sets.
“It was super intense,” Williams said on court after the win.
“She’s an incredibly focused player who’s won Grand Slams for a reason. You have to come out with a lot of fire and intensity.”
Sharapova described Williams as “explosive” after once again falling to beat the American.
“She played quite explosive,” Sharapova, 28, told reporters after the loss.
“It’s always frustrating [to lose to her]. It’s motivating too, though. She’s at a different level. She makes you go back to the drawing board, not just for me but for the other players.”
Five-time champion, Novak Djokovic, after beating No. 7 Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, still has a daunting semi-final match against Roger Federer, who has won four of his 17 Grand Slam titles in Australia.
Federer reached his 12th Australian Open semi-final, and 39th in a Grand Slam event, with a 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4 win over No. 6 Tomas Berdych. He hasn’t gone past the semi-finals at Melbourne Park since winning the title in 2010, but he’s a serious obstacle for Djokovic.
They’re 22-all in career head-to-heads, with Djokovic catching up since usurping Federer in the rankings.
“Any round feels like finals because of the fact that we are, you know, big rivals, we played so many times against each other,” Djokovic said.
“There’s a lot of tension. There’s a lot at stake. I’m expecting a great fight in two days.”
In the women’s semi-finals, Williams will be facing fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat No. 10 Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3. Radwanska has won one of her previous four semi-finals at a major, but never won a Grand Slam title.
Williams is 8-0 against Radwanska, including their meeting in the 2012 Wimbledon final.
