Melbourne, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) – Maria Sharapova reached her 10th
career grand slam final after beating Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets at
the Australian Open on Thursday.
Sharapova, seeded No. 2 behind Serena Williams, rolled to a 6-3, 6-2 win over
the 10th-seeded Makarova in 87 minutes.
The 2008 Australian Open champion double-faulted seven times but fired 23
winners and three aces in the win.
She has won 22 of her last 23 matches against fellow Russians and improved to
6-0 lifetime against Makarova, including 3-0 at the Australian Open following
quarterfinals wins in 2012 and 2013.
Chasing her sixth grand slam title and 35th career win, the 27-year-old
Sharapova moved on to face the winner of Thursday’s all-American semifinal
between Williams and Madison Keyes.
Sharapova is 5-4 in grand slam finals, including 1-2 at the Australian Open.
Makarova, 26, made her second consecutive grand slam semifinal. She lost to
Williams at last year’s U.S. Open.
