30 | January | 2015 | Tennis Courts Map Directory

Serena Williams vs Maria Sharapova Preview – Australian Open 2015 Final

Posted: Jan 30, 2015

One of the top rivalries of the past decade in women’s tennis will write the latest chapter in its storied tale, as top seeds Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova cross paths once again to determine who will leave Melbourne as a Grand Slam champion. Of their 18 previous meetings on the tour, Williams dominates the head-to-head series against Sharapova 16-2, and holds a 15-match win streak against her Russian adversary.

Watch the final match here: Serena Williams v Sharapova Live Stream

The second semi-final on Thursday was the more competitive of the two women’s contests, as both the winner and the loser looked good by the time they came to exit the court. World No. 1 Serena Williams managed to weather the storm from Madison Keys and defeated the surging youngster in straight sets, but it was not without its difficult moments.

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Keys saved eight match points before falling on the ninth attempt from Williams. It was a remarkable display of grit and determination from a player who had most of her leg bandaged. Williams, however, hit 13 aces, 19 winners, and won 73% of her first service points to eventually overcome her opponents in 1 hour and 24 minutes.

“I was a little frustrated at the end – I had so many match points and just couldn’t close it out, and that doesn’t usually happen,” Williams said. “But in retrospect, she was playing very well. She served so well. I’m a really big fan of hers. She’s so awesome, she’s so positive, just a great player.”

Earlier in the day, Maria Sharapova ousted Simona Halep-vanquisher Ekaterina Makarova with relative ease, 6-3, 6-2. Sharapova was in total command of the match from the get-go, as she stormed to a 3-0 lead to open the match, and even held a 4-0 lead in the second set.

Apart from a second round scare, Sharapova eased into her 10th Grand Slam final with little difficulty.

“It’s really special,” Sharapova said in her post-match interview. “You work really hard for these two weeks and fight through some tough matches, some tough situations, and you come from behind in some of them – for me really behind in one of them, saving two match points in the second round.”

This marks the 19th time that Williams and Sharapova will cross paths on the professional tour, with Williams leading the series with a dominant 16-2 record, as well as 15 consecutive victories dating back almost a decade. Sharapova is capable of toppling her biggest adversary, but it is more a matter of self-belief than it is about her physical inability to overcome the 18-time Grand Slam champion. This will likely be a match that goes three sets, but it is hard to imagine Sharapova edging out Williams on this very stage.

Prediction: Serena Williams in Three Sets

SteveG Recommends: A truly inspiring story about the Williams sisters and their father Richard Williams:

Check out Maria Sharapova’s tennis apparel:

Djokovic Overcomes Defending Champion Wawrinka to Reach Australian Open Final

Posted: Jan 30, 2015

djokovic60 Djokovic Overcomes Defending Champion Wawrinka to Reach Australian Open Final

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is through to the final of the Australian Open once again, where he will be looking to capture his fifth title in Melbourne.

The Serbian star took part in a turbulent contest against defending champion Stan Wawrinka, and eventually downed him 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 in three hours and 30 minutes.

“A couple points decide a winner in these particular matches when you’re playing for Grand Slam final,” the top seed said after his semi-final win. “I can say I’m glad; of course I’m happy and satisfied to go through. I’m proud of the fighting spirit that I had. But the level of performance was not where I wanted it to be.”

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Djokovic survived 42 winners from Wawrinka and hit 27 of his own. The difference was in the unforced errors, which Wawrinka hit 69 of.

“I’m surprised we went five sets again, even if the last one was 10 minutes,” said Wawrinka. “We had some great battle here the last two years. Today was a strange match. He was there playing good enough to win and he deserved to win and play the final.”

Djokovic will now contest the Australian Open final against a player he had faced there before: Andy Murray. The sixth seed overcame Tomas Berdych in four sets to reach the final, and will now have to overturn Djokovic’s undefeated record in final matches on Rod Laver Arena.

“Andy and I go back to when we were 12 years old,” said Djokovic. “We know each other for a long time. It’s nice to see we’re playing another Grand Slam final against each other. We’ve played many, and hopefully we can come up with a big match for all of you guys.”