The iron will-to-win of Maria Sharapova brought her a place in the Wimbledon semi-finals on Tuesday when she floored Russian compatriot Nadia Petrova 7-6 6-3 in a ruthless quarter-final display on Court One.
The defending champion and second seed took her winning run on grass to 22 matches with some ferocious baselining against the eighth seed to set up a semi-final with either Venus Williams or Mary Pierce.
"Finishing off the match was tough," said Sharapova after her tightest match of the tournament. "It gave me shivers in my body. It's so good to be in the semis."
Despite being the eighth seed, Petrova has never won a WTA Tour title or reached a grand slam final. On Tuesday she only needed to look over the other side of the net to see what the missing ingredient is.
Sharapova's development in the United States has instilled a fierce competitive streak in her and the 18-year-old won the first set through sheer bloody-mindedness.
Both players served outstandingly in a gusting wind on Court One, pounding down deliveries in excess of 100 mph. Petrova held the edge in speed, touching 113 mph on one point, but she also had to saved the set's only break point at 4-4.
The tiebreak went the same way at first before Sharapova, shrieking louder and louder with every shot, provoked an error from her opponent to force two set points at 6-4.
Petrova saved them both, the first with a driven forehand and the second with a fulminating ace.
It simply spurred the Siberian-born teenager to intensify her effort.
HAMMER BLOW
Sharapova set up a third set point with a vicious service return followed by a forehand winner and another forehand hammer blow gave her the tiebreak 8-6.
Despite her five-years advantage in experience Petrova had been found wanting psychologically when it mattered and she was unable to recover.
Her serve-volley tactics had paid off more often than not in the first set but the momentum was with Sharapova who immediately raced into a 3-0 lead at the start of the second.
Petrova had no response, although it was hard not to feel sorry for the French Open semi-finalist when she finally earned her first break point of the match at 3-5.
Sharapova saved it thanks to a forehand netcord and another one followed immediately to give her match point which she took when Petrova flayed a forehand long.
In the next round Maria will play either Mary Pierce of France or Venus Williams of the United States.
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June 28th, 2005
Posted by: Marco
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