The experienced Maria Sharapova slapped down young pretender Eugenie Bouchard Tuesday, dominating the ambitious Canadian to set up an all-Russian Australian Open semi-final with dark horse Ekaterina Makarova.
The world No 2, who could claim the top ranking from arch-rival Serena Williams if she wins the title, showed her intent by breaking the seventh seed in the first game of the match and never looked back.
Billed as a glam slam showdown between two of the game’s most marketable women, an intense Sharapova was all business in the crushing 6-3, 6-2 win on a cool, overcast Melbourne day.
“She’s been playing so well at slams, so confident and so aggressive,” said the Russian, gunning for a sixth grand slam crown and her first in Australia since 2008.
“I just really tried to take that away from her a little bit. I did a great job of that today.”
She now faces Makarova, who raced through her match against third seed Simona Halep, thrashing the more-fancied Romanian 6-4, 6-0.
The 26-year-old has made the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park twice previously but never before advanced to the semis in seven attempts.
“I love it, it’s a great feeling that I came through,” said Makarova.
In the other women’s quarter-finals, to be played Wednesday, top seed Serena Williams meets last year’s finalist Dominika Cibulkova while her sister Venus takes on teenage American Madison Keys.
If the Williams sisters both win, they will face each other across the net at a grand slam for the first time since the 2009 Wimbledon final, which Serena won.
Makarova, her right thigh heavily strapped, said she was trying to stay grounded and not let expectations get to her with Sharapova looming.
“I need to believe in myself. I’m trying not to really think that it’s semis, that I’m one step from the final, but that it’s just a normal match like always,” she said.
“Just go out there and enjoy my game.”
Halep came into the match as favourite but her trademark fighting qualities deserted her, with the talented 23-year-old saying she felt stressed by the occasion.
“I practised very well in the morning, but I was a little bit too stressed before I started the match,” she said. “It was not really pressure, just a little bit stressed. I don’t know why.”
Sharapova, who also dumped Bouchard from the French Open semi-finals last year, gave no quarter on Rod Laver Arena, hitting 18 winners and forcing 30 unforced errors from the 20-year-old.
“The first two or three balls are so aggressive from her side,” Sharapova said. “I just tried to keep my ground, I knew she was going to go at it and be aggressive.”
Sharapova applied the coup-de-grace when she drove her 15th forehand winner into the empty backhand side of the court and let out a massive yelp in celebration.
“I felt under pressure the whole time ... and it kind of all went downhill from there,” Bouchard said. “That’s not how I want to play.
“It’s definitely easier when you have a good start to the match.”
Looking ahead to her semi-final encounter, Sharapova said she feels in top form.
“I felt pretty good from the start (and) I kept my focus throughout the whole match,” Sharapova told reporters. “I didn’t feel that I had too many letdowns, which is important.
“When I did have a few slips I was able to come out with great first serves or really powerful returns.
“But overall really happy with the way the match went.”
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