Super-Intense Serena Sends Sharapova South; Aggie Awaits at Aussie Open
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If you blinked you might have missed Tuesday’s women’s action at the Australian Open, where the Serena vs. Maria “blockbuster” missed the “block” and was simply a “bust,” and Aggie Radwanska likewise made mincemeat of an opponent.
ADHEREL
No. 5 seed Maria Sharapova briefly looked like she was possibly going to turn around her lopsided “rivalry” with Serena Williams — until she didn’t.
The Russian took a 2-0 break lead in the first set, showing a bit of variety outside of her regular scream-as-loud-as-you-can-and-hit-the-ball-as-hard-as-you-can game plan, but then things began to return to the norm. Sharapova did have break points at 4-4, but when she failed to convert, the American ran off seven games in a row en route to a 6-4, 6-1 rout.
“It was super intense,” Serena said after winning her 18th straight against the Russian. “She’s an incredibly intense, focused player who was No. 1 and won so many Grand Slams for a reason. When you’re playing someone who’s so great, you have to come out with a lot of fire and intensity.”
Williams called a doctor onto the court after the first set, attributing it to food poisoning she suffered a few days prior, but in the second set almost baked the Russian a going-away bagel in the rising Melbourne temperatures.
The world No. 1 will next meet the No. 4 seed Radwanska who rolled past Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1, 6-3.
“She’s a great defender and a great girl,” Williams said of the Pole. “I’m going to do my best, and I have nothing to lose.”
Radwanska said she had little interest in scouting the Williams-Sharapova match.
“Well, to be honest, I know those two very well,” Radwanska said. “[To watch] doesn’t really matter to be honest.”
Williams is gunning for a seventh Aussie Open title, which would tie Steffi Graf’s record of 22 Grand Slam titles.
Quarterfinals matches on Wednesday in Melbourne will be (7) Angelique Kerber vs. (14) Victoria Azarenka, and the all-unseeded Johanna Konta of Britain vs. China’s Shuai Zhang.
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