Top world tennis players Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams are set to face off in the semifinals of the Sony Open on Thursday, their 18th in total career meeting. The high-profile match has got more competitive over the last two years, with Williams winning 14 straight matches since 2004. Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova still looks well determined to grab the first prize on Thursday.
"There are certainly ways that I need to step up in certain situations that I haven’t been able to do in the past against Williams," said Sharapova, who is 2-15 against Williams. "But it’s great that I have come to that stage and have the opportunity to play her again." Serena Williams is playing her first tournament since the Dubai Championships in February. Though her form was shaky all through two matches, she had her best performance of the tournament on Tuesday with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Germany's Angelique Kerber. "Well, I love playing her [Sharapova], I really do — doesn’t matter what surface or anything," Williams pointed out. "She’s one of my favorite people to play. And so I think that helps when you’re playing against people. It just gets you really pumped." Maria Sharapova came up with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over Belgian Kirsten Flipkens into the quarter-finals of the Miami Masters earlier, on Monday. With rain temporarily interrupting afternoon play at the start of the second week the four-time grand slam champion from Russia put herself into a good scheduling position at the prestigious Sony Open tournament. Voice of Russia, dpa, "Source: Voice Of Russia,
