Maria Sharapova drew on new-found resolve as she fought back to beat fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6 6-2 6-2 on Tuesday to reach the Australian Open semi-finals for the first time.



Kuznetsova, 19, dominated the first set against a tentative and error-prone Sharapova but the match soon became a mental and physical battle to see who could endure scorching heat which hit 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) on Rod Laver Arena.



"I need a wheelchair right now," said...

On tuesday Maria will play compatriot and fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova for a place in the semi finals. This match is the first match at Rod Laver Arena and the schedule starts at 11.00 local time (GMT +11).



Maria won last match against Kuznetsova at the WTA Tour Championships in Los Angeles 6-1 6-4, but Kutznetsova still leads the series 2-1.

QUESTION
Yesterday you didn't seem to remember much about Farina. What was the impression you had on her today? How difficult was this match?



MARIA SHARAPOVA:
Uhm, she made me hit a lot of balls. At the beginning of the first set, I was trying to do I was trying to come in a little bit more, but I wasn't converting my volleys. I was making too many unforced errors at the beginning and I wasn't giving myself a chance to play my game.
Basically I was just letting...

Wimbledon champion and fourth seed Maria Sharapova overcame a slow start to battle past Italian Silvia Farina Elia 4-6 6-1 6-2 on Sunday to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the first time.



Maria will now play compatriot and fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova after the U.S. Open champion held off another Russian in Vera Douchevina 6-4 6-2.


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