Sharapova relishing final chance
The Russian has an opportunity to claim a second Wimbledon title after setting up a showdown with first-time grand slam finalist Petra Kvitova.
“I hadn’t been past the fourth round in a few years, so to be at this stage, I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity to go for it,” a relaxed Sharapova said.
Seven years after triumphing as a 17-year-old, Sharapova overcame wild card Sabine Lisicki in straight sets.
The serving problems which dogged Sharapova in her second-round win over Laura Robson returned in the semi-final with Lisicki, but her groundstrokes were meaty and she found enough to claim an eventual 6-4 6-3 success.
Eighth seed Kvitova, meanwhile, beat fourth seed Victoria Azarenka 6-1 3-6 6-2.
Sharapova, seeded fifth, thought her chances of becoming champion again had almost gone after she suffered a serious shoulder injury in 2007, making yesterday’s win even sweeter.
But the Russian admits her service game will have to improve if she is to overcome Kvitova after she double-faulted 13 times.
“From the beginning I didn’t serve well,” Sharapova said. “I felt like I was just rushing things with my first serve. I didn’t really want to give her too many looks on second serves. I think maybe I overthought it too much.”
Kvitova’s win meant the 21-year-old became the first Czech player to reach a Wimbledon singles final since Jana Novotna beat Nathalie Tauziat to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish in 1998.
“I think this is the best day of my career,” Kvitova said. “I am surprised to be in the final. When I came here, I just wanted to play match after match and nothing more.”
The two finalists have never met each other in a major, but their head-to-head record of three wins apiece indicates Saturday’s Centre Court clash could be a tight affair.
But Kvitova thinks the Russian will be tough to beat: “She has experience. She won here already so she knows how it is going in the final.”
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