In a result reminiscent of the Australian Open final, Serena
Williams beat top-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 to reach the Sony
Ericsson Open quarterfinals on March 27.
"Once she gets up in the set or in the match, she seems to
steamroll," Sharapova said.
The match was only the third for Williams since she defeated
Sharapova 6-1, 6-2 in Melbourne two months ago. Williams bristled
when asked if she expected such an easy rematch.
"Haven't you learned that I expect the best of myself?" she
said. "If I'm playing well, then anything can happen. I believe
there could be a similar score if I'm playing well."
Ranked No. 1 in 2002-03, Williams has played only six
tournaments in the past 18 months and has slipped to 18th. But when
she hit a forehand winner on match point, she raised her index
finger and shouted "No. 1" to the cheering crowd.
After shaking hands with Sharapova, a jubilant Williams raised
her finger again.
"Every time I do that I win, so I'm a little superstitious," she
said. "I'm working toward getting to be the best. It's an uphill
battle."
Seeking her fourth Key Biscayne title, No. 13-seeded Williams
will play No. 8 Nicole Vaidisova in the quarterfinals on
Wednesday.
Sharapova, who lost the No. 1 ranking last week to Justine
Henin, has yet to win a tournament this year. Her biggest problem
is Williams, who has won 24 of the 29 sets they've played since
2006.
"You obviously go out on the practice court, and you work on
it," Sharapova said. "It'll take time, but I'm sure I'll get
there."
While Sharapova lost her rematch, Andy Roddick won his against
David Ferrer. The Spaniard was an upset winner when they played at
Key Biscayne a year ago, but this time the third-seeded Roddick won
7-5, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals.
Sixth-seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain took nearly three hours to
finish off Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic 7-6 (4), 5-7, 7-6
(3), and No. 12 Andy Murray of Britain overcame two match points to
beat Paul-Henri Mathieu of France 2-6, 7-5, 6-3.
No. 9 Anna Chakvetadze of Russia became the first women's
semifinalist by beating No. 15 Li Na of China 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Sharapova beat Venus Williams in the third round on Sunday but
lasted only 58 minutes against the younger sister. As was the case
in Melbourne, the tall Russian struggled with her serve, once a
strength.
Hitting aggressively, she double-faulted eight times and won
only four of 16 points on her second serve.
"When you feel that you need to hold serve against someone like
her, and someone that's serving so well, I think that puts a little
bit of extra pressure on your serve," Sharapova said.
Playing like the Slammin' Serena of old, Williams went for a
winner on most of her shots, yet still committed only 15 unforced
errors. She won the final five games of the first set and the last
six games of the match.
Even after dominating the opening set, she signaled for her
father and coach, Richard, to come onto the court for a
consultation. His advice: Approach the second set as if it was
practice, to make the most of the court time.
"I told her, 'You don't want to get into a hitting battle with
Sharapova, because it would be uneven for Sharapova, because
Sharapova only has one good side and that's her backhand,"' Richard
Williams said. "'You don't want to get into that for the simple
reason you would win. So try to hit some balls to her strong side,
to her backhand, and that would help you with your match for
tomorrow."'
The strategy failed, and Sharapova seemed increasingly
frustrated. When she double-faulted on consecutive points, she
waved her arms, shook her head and looked at her father in the
stands for help. The match became only more lopsided, with Williams
winning 22 of the final 28 points.
There was no repeat of the heckling Williams endured from a fan
during her match on Monday, including a racist remark. The fan was
ejected and banned from the site for the rest of the tournament,
and Williams said she had no concerns about security.
"I have an orange belt in taekwondo, just in case," she said
with a laugh.
(China Daily via AP March 28, 2007)