Sharapova advances past Makarova into Australian Open final
Maria Sharapova needs just one more win to capture her second career Australian Open.
The second-ranked player in the world advanced to the Grand Slam final with a 6-3, 6-2 win over fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova on Thursday.
Sharapova, who won the tournament in 2008 with runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2012, will play No. 1 Serena Williams on Saturday.
Sharapova will need to play a flawless game when she faces Williams. She hasn’t defeated the American since 2004, a span of 15 matches.
#Sharapova: "My confidence should be high going into the final of a Slam, no matter who I face, even if I have a terrible record or not"
— Australian Open (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2015
Sharapova started slowly, needing 10 minutes to hold serve in the first game of the match and another seven minutes to earn a break in the second game.
But it quickly became apparent No. 10 Makarova had no answer for Sharapova. Makarova won an abysmal 23-of-41 first serve points during the match, and just seven of 20 on second serve.
Sharapova meanwhile was relentless. Sharapova broke Makarova twice in the second set en route to a 4-0 lead and an eventual victory.
Double faults, as always, hampered Sharapova. She had seven during the match with just three aces to show for it, but very rarely needed to attack the net with her backcourt game so strong.