Three years after major shoulder surgery threatened to end her career, Maria Sharapova overwhelmed her demons and her opponent to earn a place in her first Grand Slam final since she won the Australian Open in 2008. Strangely immobile at the start, the 2004 Wimbledon champion steadied herself to beat the German wild card Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-3 in a disjointed encounter lasting 87 minutes.
For the first three games 24-year-old Sharapova could barely get a point on the board. Her serve, so greatly reduced as a weapon since that surgery, utterly deserted her. It all looked like a horrible repeat of her French Open semi-final against Li Na just a month ago, especially when she began racking up a potentially disastrous double fault tally from the word go.
By contrast it was 62nd ranked Lisicki who appeared the old hand on the Centre Court. Relaxed and smiling, no matter that she was bidding to become the first wild card in Wimbledon history to make the women's final, she reached 3-0 at a stroll.
It was the game after that which seemed to prove crucial. Sharapova got to 40-0 and looked on course for a steadying hold, but a curious lack of confidence took her back to deuce. She then delivered one of her ill-timed double faults for break point. How much rested on the outcome of this single point? Lisicki had control of the rally, yet contrived to put her forehand wide. Somehow Sharapova cobbled together a struggling hold from there, and it made all the difference to find herself at 1-3 instead of 0-4.
This was one of those times when Sharapova's fierce, inward-looking concentration was on full burn. She was working the problem, and dictating the pace. Lisicki still seemed relaxed, even smiling when she conceded a break point for 3-2; but she stopped smiling when a steaming Sharapova return sealed it. The Russian was wearing Lisicki down, regaining ground - and confidence - inch by inch. It was no surprise when at 4-4 the 21-year-old sent the ball long again for the decisive break. Lisicki had started to misfire. Sharapova wrongfooted her on the baseline to bring up two set points. Lisicki rescued the first with drop-shot bravado but Sharapova simply aced the second.
Now it was Lisicki's service which had gone absent without leave. Unforced errors galloped in to give Sharapova three break points, and worse still, Lisicki took a leaf out of the Russian's book and double-faulted to cede the break. Sharapova's own game was knee-deep in doubles, but she was also sending down unreturned serves, and urging herself on with every point. A light drizzle began to fall, and at 0-30 Lisicki asked umpire Louise Engzell if they could stop, but was refused. Once again her serve went awry and in the blink of an eye it was 0-3. Lisicki kept going, returning cleverly to force two break points, and watching as Sharapova duly double-faulted. She had one break back, only to return it next game.
If only Lisicki could have held on to her own serve, she might have been able to make more of Sharapova's horrible double-fault habit. But for one thing Lisicki did not add a single ace to the 44 she had delivered throughout the tournament; and for another, the Russian was in bellowing, fighting mode. Once the ball was in play Sharapova was far less vulnerable, and at 4-1 she rescued two more break points against her. The best Lisicki could do was make her opponent serve it out - and right on cue Sharapova delivered yet another double fault to make it 5-3. But it was only delaying the inevitable. Match point came via a mighty Sharapova forehand, whereupon Lisicki sent the ball long. Sharapova has still not dropped a set this fortnight, and will be the hot favourite against the inexperienced Petra Kvitova in Saturday's final.
For the first three games 24-year-old Sharapova could barely get a point on the board. Her serve, so greatly reduced as a weapon since that surgery, utterly deserted her. It all looked like a horrible repeat of her French Open semi-final against Li Na just a month ago, especially when she began racking up a potentially disastrous double fault tally from the word go.
By contrast it was 62nd ranked Lisicki who appeared the old hand on the Centre Court. Relaxed and smiling, no matter that she was bidding to become the first wild card in Wimbledon history to make the women's final, she reached 3-0 at a stroll.
It was the game after that which seemed to prove crucial. Sharapova got to 40-0 and looked on course for a steadying hold, but a curious lack of confidence took her back to deuce. She then delivered one of her ill-timed double faults for break point. How much rested on the outcome of this single point? Lisicki had control of the rally, yet contrived to put her forehand wide. Somehow Sharapova cobbled together a struggling hold from there, and it made all the difference to find herself at 1-3 instead of 0-4.
This was one of those times when Sharapova's fierce, inward-looking concentration was on full burn. She was working the problem, and dictating the pace. Lisicki still seemed relaxed, even smiling when she conceded a break point for 3-2; but she stopped smiling when a steaming Sharapova return sealed it. The Russian was wearing Lisicki down, regaining ground - and confidence - inch by inch. It was no surprise when at 4-4 the 21-year-old sent the ball long again for the decisive break. Lisicki had started to misfire. Sharapova wrongfooted her on the baseline to bring up two set points. Lisicki rescued the first with drop-shot bravado but Sharapova simply aced the second.
Now it was Lisicki's service which had gone absent without leave. Unforced errors galloped in to give Sharapova three break points, and worse still, Lisicki took a leaf out of the Russian's book and double-faulted to cede the break. Sharapova's own game was knee-deep in doubles, but she was also sending down unreturned serves, and urging herself on with every point. A light drizzle began to fall, and at 0-30 Lisicki asked umpire Louise Engzell if they could stop, but was refused. Once again her serve went awry and in the blink of an eye it was 0-3. Lisicki kept going, returning cleverly to force two break points, and watching as Sharapova duly double-faulted. She had one break back, only to return it next game.
If only Lisicki could have held on to her own serve, she might have been able to make more of Sharapova's horrible double-fault habit. But for one thing Lisicki did not add a single ace to the 44 she had delivered throughout the tournament; and for another, the Russian was in bellowing, fighting mode. Once the ball was in play Sharapova was far less vulnerable, and at 4-1 she rescued two more break points against her. The best Lisicki could do was make her opponent serve it out - and right on cue Sharapova delivered yet another double fault to make it 5-3. But it was only delaying the inevitable. Match point came via a mighty Sharapova forehand, whereupon Lisicki sent the ball long. Sharapova has still not dropped a set this fortnight, and will be the hot favourite against the inexperienced Petra Kvitova in Saturday's final.
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