Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova to meet in Brisbane semifinals
While Serena Williams cruised to an easy 6-3, 6-3 win over Diminika Cibulkova, Maria Sharapova took two hours to go past 2012 Brisbane champion Kaia Kanepi.
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will renew their long and not-so-friendly rivalry after setting up a semifinal matchup at the Brisbane International, a key tuneup event for the Australian Open.
Top-ranked Williams, the defending champion, didn't lose a point on her serve in the first set en route to a 6-3, 6-3 win over ninth-seeded Diminika Cibulkova of Slovakia in just over an hour.
Third-seeded Sharapova, meanwhile, needed two hours to beat 2012 Brisbane champion Kaia Kanepi 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, dropping three service games in the first set and another to open the second before finding her range and staging her comeback.
Williams has won her last 13 matches against Sharapova, most recently in last year's French Open final. Sharapova hasn't beaten Williams since 2004.