Sharapova breezes into semi-finals
Maria Sharapova produced arguably the most stunning performance of her career to date as she cruised past world number one Justine Henin 6-4 6-0 in the Australian Open quarter-final.The Russian ace won the final seven games to seal the victory and will now meet fifth seed Jelena Jankovic in the last four.
Henin, who had boasted an unbeaten 32-match record before the last eight clash, failed to cope with her opponent's wonderful groundstrokes.
And Sharapova showed no signs of slowing up after taking the first set, reeling off seven straight games to win the second 6-0 and claim just her third win in nine attempts over the Belgian.
I really felt like I was in my own bubble," said Sharapova.
"I wasn't trying to pay attention to her record or how many tournaments she won, which is an increbible number."
Sharapova, who lost out in last year's final to Serena Williams, will face close friend Jankovic on Tuesday after the Serb star sent the defending champion crashing out of the tournament.
"We kind of grew up together, practicing at the same academy," Sharapova said.
"It's a bit strange. We were always doing the same thing, playing the same groups. It was both of our dreams playing in a Grand Slam, especially playing each other."
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