World number one Serena Williams reached her 9th Sony Open Tennis Miami final after the American defeated rival Maria Sharapova for the 15th consecutive time in the semifinals of this Premier Mandatory event.
Sharapova seemed headed to break the losing streak against the American but leading 4-1 in the first set and a break lead in the second but Williams found a way to bounce back, closing out the match with a 6-4, 6-3 scoreline.
“I think she started out strong,” Williams said. “I made some unforced errors, and I had a lot of chances to be up first game, and then had some chances to hold serve and chances to break again. So I think I definitely let myself down in the first three games, and then she just started playing better.
“But when I’m not playing well, or when I’m feeling lower energy, I know I can do better. That’s always a plus. Especially during a match, sometimes I feel like, ‘Okay, well, you can take it up a level.'”
Sharapova said that despite the 2-16 head to head series record against Williams, she said she’s still looking forward to play against a very formidable opponent.
“Despite my results against her, I still look forward to playing against Serena, because you learn so much from that type of level that she produces,” the Russian said. “She’s an incredible champion. That’s the reason she’s at the top. She’s accomplished a lot. Her tennis speaks for itself.”
Williams is through to her ninth career final in Miami, her personal best compared to any other event. She’s aiming for a record-setting seventh title at this tournament.
“That’s pretty awesome – I didn’t even realize!” Williams said. “But I just love playing here in Miami. This is my home. I love you guys!”
Her other two losses at Sony Open final came in 1999 (to sister Venus Williams) and 2009 (to Victoria Azarenka).
Up next for Williams is world number two Li Na of China after the latter defeated 10th seed Dominika Cibulkova in three sets. Williams has a 10-1 head to head series record versus Li.
