Smooth semifinals in Istanbul as both Maria and Serena won in straight sets against dead tired opponents.
Sharapova – Azarenka 6-4 6-2
This was one the most interesting rivalries in 2012. They are the top 2 players in the WTA rankings and they already played each other 5 times (4-1 for Vika). This time it was a one way trafic as Maria was in great shape and Vika couldn’t do much.
“I’d lost to Victoria the last few times, so I’m really happy I put myself in the semifinals to play against her and try to improve that — I was hoping to have a better result, and I’m happy I did today.” said Sharapova.
“I’m not going to say I was the freshest today, but I also don’t want to make any excuses,” Azarenka said. “I think Agnieszka felt much worse than me today. I saw her before the match and we looked at each other and we laughed really hard. That says it all.”
Williams – Radwanska 6-2 6-1
As anticipated, that was a mission impossible for a dead tired Radwanska. The Pole played two +3 hours matches in the last three days and facing Serena in these conditions was impossible. A inevitable trash came after 1 hour.
“I probably had an idea she was tired,” said Serena. “I just told her that it was awesome she played so well and played through another match, after playing a good eight hours. It was really inspiring for me.”
“Those last two matches really killed me,” Radwanska said. “Especially that I didn’t have the day off, and especially that surface — it’s very sticky, so three and a half hours is a lot. I really tried today and I really wanted to run, but my legs just didn’t. This is the kind of tournament where you have to be fit every match to win. I was trying, but Serena played too fast. I couldn’t do anything.”
The Final – Sharapova – Williams
Head to head is 9-2 for Serena. The America won the last 8 matches conceding 9 games in aggregate in the last 3 matches to Maria.
Last time Sharapova defeated Serena was 8 years ago in Washington.
Serena is the overwhelming favorite. Can the Russian beauty go against the odds? Tough!
