Serena Williams v Maria Sharapova the highlight on Thursday at Wimbledon
Friday 10 July 2015 15:23, UK
Maria Sharapova looks to end 11 years of misery when she tackles bitter rival Serena Williams for a place in the Wimbledon final on Thursday.
Sharapova has collected five Grand Slam titles - including the 2004 Wimbledon crown – and built a global brand that makes her the world's highest paid female athlete.
But the 28-year-old has still been left trailing in Serena's wake in terms of on-court success and hasn't come out on top against the American since 2004.
The 33-year-old American has a 17-2 lead in their head to head record, winning their last 16 meetings and depriving Sharapova of three major titles - in the 2007 and 2015 Australian Open finals and the 2013 French Open final.
Serena has also won all four of her semi-final meetings with Sharapova, defeated the Russian in their previous Wimbledon clash in the last 16 in 2010 and thrashed her in the 2012 Olympic final at the All England Club.
After battling back to defeat Victoria Azarenka in the last eight – extending her winning run at Grand Slams to 26 matches and her 2015 record to 37-1 – Serena can't wait to take on Sharapova again.
"I love playing Maria. I think she brings out the best in me. I thought we had a wonderful final in Australia," said Serena, who remains on course to hold all four major titles at once and is in the hunt to clinch the first calendar Grand Slam since 1988.
Asked if her lack of success in the Serena match-up would be weighing on her mind, Sharapova gamely insisted she still relishes the challenge of playing the American.
"I think it's always a new match. I haven't had great success against her. I would love to change that around. That's how I look at it," the world No 4 said.
Intrigue
The other semi-final may end up being overshadowed by Serena v Maria Part 20, but there is still plenty of intrigue in the meeting between Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbine Muguruza.
Radwanska is in her fourth Grand Slam semi-final and her third at Wimbledon.
The Polish 13th seed reached the Wimbledon final in 2012, losing to Serena, and she hopes her experience of the latter stages of a major will stand her in good stead against Spanish 20th seed Muguruza, who will be appearing in the last four of a Grand Slam for the first time.
Muguruza, 21, is the first Spanish woman to make the Wimbledon semi-finals since Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario in 1997.
Back the Brit
Jamie Murray will try to upstage his famous brother today as he bids to become the first Briton to make it into a Wimbledon final at this year's championships.
Andy Murray's older sibling will take to Centre Court with partner John Peers from Australia for their men's doubles semi-final against Jonathan Erlich and Philipp Petzschner.
Jamie, 29, who won the mixed doubles' title in 2007, has laughed off Andy's suggestion that he is a jinx for his older brother.
"I've lost a lot of matches where he hasn't been there so I'm not quite sure that's true," he said. "He can watch if he wants to."
