NEW YORK - Maria Sharapova will shoot for her first US Open title tomorrow after upsetting world number one Amelie Mauresmo in three sets in the semi-finals.
Sharapova will face Justine Henin-Hardenne, who reached her fourth grand slam final of the year by beating 19th-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic 4-6 6-4
6-0 on Friday.
Third seed Sharapova struck 20 winners in the day's later match, double the number from Mauresmo, to win 6-0 4-6 6-0 and reach the second grand slam final of her career.
Frenchwoman Mauresmo, the 27-year-old Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, played a miserable first set and won just seven points in the final frame.
The top seed secured her only service break in the last game of the second set but was unable to keep the momentum going.
"It was tough to get broken in that last game of the second set," said the 19-year-old Sharapova, who will move up to number one in the world if she beats Henin-Hardenne. "She just played some good tennis. But I hung in there.
"I went to the changeover and thought, 'It's all right. It's one set all. You haven't lost the match yet. Now it's equal.' So I just kept going."
Five-times grand slam winner Henin-Hardenne has a 4-1 record against Sharapova after a four-match winning streak against the Russian.
"Well, I had a terrible record against Amelie (0-3) and that ended today," said Sharapova. "And I have a terrible record against Justine.
"So I hope that's a good luck charm at the Open and I will turn it around tomorrow."
Appearing in her first grand slam semi-final, the 21-year-old Jankovic played aggressively and took advantage of a sub-par performance by Henin-Hardenne to lead by a set and 4-2.
But after double-faulting on her serve for a 5-2 lead, nerves seemed to get the best of the Serbian and she unravelled while losing 10 straight games and the match.
Henin-Hardenne credited the comeback both to her improved play and Jankovic's collapse.
"I was pretty nervous at the beginning of the match. I wasn't in good rhythm," said the Belgian. She was playing terrific at that time. She was just on fire."
But the 24-year-old said that when she trimmed Jankovic's second-set lead to 5-4 she felt much better.
"I was feeling free," she said. "I was playing my game. In the third set, I played really well. I came back a little bit from nowhere, but it's the kind of match that I probably would have lost in the past."
An emotional Jankovic said she self-destructed after arguing with the chair umpire over a line call, battling the swirling winds on Arthur Ashe Stadium and watching Henin-Hardenne hold her back in apparent pain.
"I don't know what she was doing, but she was acting like she had pain in her back, and she was trying to start me thinking or something.
"I was looking at her, and she was, 'Oh, I have pain in my back.' That's the time when she was losing. Then when she was winning, all of a sudden she's hitting the biggest serves ever.
"I'm like, 'Now your back doesn't hurt?"'
However, Jankovic said losing her concentration was her own fault.
"But what can I do? I'll learn from my mistakes," she said. "I am young and I hope the next time I won't make the same mistake."
- REUTERS
NEW YORK - Maria Sharapova will shoot for her first US Open title tomorrow after upsetting world number one Amelie Mauresmo in three sets in the semi-finals.
Sharapova will face Justine Henin-Hardenne, who reached her fourth grand slam final of the year by beating 19th-seeded Serbian Jelena Jankovic 4-6 6-4
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.