Sharapova, Spears Duet with Wins at WTA Seoul

Maria Sharapova, the $300,000 (guarantee appearance) woman, moved into the semifinals at the WTA stop in Seoul, dropping only three games in dismissing No. 8 seed Sam Stosur.

"Today I came out and I knew it would be cold so I had to move around quickly just to keep my body warm," said Sharapova, who was proud she remembered her warm-up outfit. "I came out prepared."

Sharapova waited out a four-hour rain delay before taking to the court, and marvelled at the changing weather conditions.

"I don't think I've ever been in a place where I could have been tanning on one day and wearing a winter jacket the next," said the Russian endorsement machine. "They told me it was going to snow tomorrow."

Time to line up that ski apparel contract.

The Russian grunter was joined in the semifinals Friday by three players ranked outside the Top 100 in American Abigail "Oops I Did It Again" Spears (d. (Q) Peer), Luxembourg's Anne "Kosmo" Kremer (d. Mamic 6-1 in the third), and Poland's Marta Domachowska (d. Talaja 6-0 in the third).

On Saturday Domachowska will face Spears in a dance-off, while Sharapova takes on Kremer.