Former champion Serena Williams clawed her way back from the brink to beat fourth-seed Maria Sharapova 2-6, 7-5, 8-6 yesterday, avenging her Wimbledon defeat and reaching the Australian Open final.
Sharapova, who beat the former world No 1 in last year's Wimbledon final, served for the match in the second
and third sets of a tense semifinal.
Williams, the 2003 champion, broke the 17-year-old Russian both times, desperately saving three match points on Sharapova's serve in the 10th game of the third set.
Seventh-seed Williams broke Sharapova in the final game with a backhand winner after two hours and 39 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.
Williams jumped and screamed with joy after another remarkable Melbourne comeback.
In 2003, she saved two match points in her semifinal against Belgian Kim Clijsters, battling back from 1-5 down in the third set to win.
"I've had a lot of great wins on this court ... two times in a row I've been down match point and have gone on to win.
"This is such a special court for me," said Williams, who was unable to defend her 2003 title because of injury.
"I'm just so excited to be through to another final. It's been such a tough 12 months."
Williams, who secured the last of her six Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon in 2003, will play fellow American Lindsay Davenport, the world No 1, in the final.
Williams got off to a nervous and uncertain start, meekly surrendering her second and third service games to gift the Russian an early 4-1 lead.
Sharapova, in contrast, served strongly, slamming three aces past Williams in the first set.
In the men's draw, Lleyton Hewitt believes mental toughness was the key to his stirring five-set win over David Nalbandian in the quarter-finals early yesterday.
"I just had to dig deep in the fifth set, and yet again the never-say-die attitude came out," Hewitt said.
The local favourite had looked in trouble when Nalbandian recovered from losing the first two sets to force the match into a fifth and deciding set.
The momentum was with the Argentine and Hewitt, who had gone the full distance in his previous match with Spanish teenager Rafael Nadal, was struggling with a hip injury.
But the No 3 seed overcame his tiredness to clinch a 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 3-6, 10-8 victory that delighted the home fans.
"Yet again I was able to come through in the clutch situations, such as the match against Nadal the other day," said Hewitt, a former world No 1.
"In the end I just played some of the bigger points a little bit better."
Hewitt said that although he was tired in the fifth set, he was still able to draw on all his reserves of stamina and courage to wear down the Argentine.
"I'm as mentally tough as anyone out there and I think I've won a lot of matches in the past because of that.
"Whether I'm the best at that, I don't know. I'm sure there are a few other guys, but mentally I go out there with a pretty good attitude," Hewitt said.
"If I lose and I know I've given 100 per cent, there's not a whole heap I can do about it.
"I can at least walk off with my head held high. Even if I had gone down, I gave it everything I had out there."
Hewitt, who plays American second seed Andy Roddick in today's semifinal, said he was frustrated by a series of poor line calls that marred the match, but had managed to ignore them.
He also played down any hint of animosity between him and Nalbandian despite several on-court clashes. The Argentine seemed upset by something Hewitt had said to him at the end of the match, and Hewitt also seemed to brush Nalbandian with his shoulder at one change of ends in the second set.
"He brought it on himself a little bit," Hewitt said. "He sort of propped and waited for a bit of a shoulder."
Hewitt has spent almost 15 hours on court and faces a tougher assignment when he locks horns with Roddick, but says he is not worried.
"I'll be ready to go. I'm definitely giving the crowds their money's worth.
"I'm doing all the right things for the tournament.
"It wasn't easy always being down in the fifth set. It was more a mental battle than anything," said Hewitt.
"It [the victory] couldn't have come quick enough, but I was going to be out there as long as it took."
- REUTERS
Serena Williams celebrates her win yesterday against fourth seed Maria Sharapova. Picture / Reuters
Former champion Serena Williams clawed her way back from the brink to beat fourth-seed Maria Sharapova 2-6, 7-5, 8-6 yesterday, avenging her Wimbledon defeat and reaching the Australian Open final.
Sharapova, who beat the former world No 1 in last year's Wimbledon final, served for the match in the second
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