For the 20th time, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova will be facing off when the semfinal stages kicks off this coming Thursday at the 2015 Wimbledon Championships.
If records are to be the basis, Williams certainly has the advantage.
Williams holds a 16-match winning streak over Sharapova though at this stage, anything can happen. Sharapova may find it difficult to wrest that advantage but the chance to end Williams’ 26-match winning streak could be a motivation for Sharapova heading into the Thursday’s marquee matchup.
At stake is of course a finals stint for the winner of the Williams-Sharapova tussle. Should Sharapova pull off a win, it will be her first time since 2011 to do so.
Williams advanced to the semifinal round after fending off a tough challenge from Victoria Azarenka. Her possible Grand Slam aspirations are still alive and it took 17 aces and 46 winners in an intense match which took over two hours to finish.
The final tally: 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, another comeback for Williams who will now be just a win shy of her 21st Grand Slam title.
"It's been up and down, up and down, but somehow I'm still alive. I'm just happy to be here" says Williams.
Azarenka had a golden chance to pull off an upset but Williams would simply have nothing of it. As it stands, Williams still holds a 10-0 record over the 24th rank Azarenka.
On the other end, the 4th ranked Sharapova held off a heavy hitting CoCo Vangeweghe (6-3, 6-7, 6-2).
Vandeweghe didn’t make things easy for the world no. 4, hitting 32 winners and responding to many baseline exchanges.
In the end, Sharapova used her experience to school the 23-year-old and first timer.
"I was pretty dominant in the first set and the beginning of the second but things slipped away after that and I had to regroup," said Sharapova, who is through to her first Wimbledon semi-final since 2011.
With the stage set, Williams is of course a favourite mainly because of the record that Williams has over Sharapova. However, many feel that a Sharapova win is not impossible to achieve. The 28-year-old Russian definitely has the tools to steal one from Williams, especially with her seemingly regular knack of slow starts.
Add to the fact that Williams is under more pressure. Williams will be entering Thursday with several things in mind. That includes protecting her 26-game winning streak over Sharapova and also her 21st Grand Slam title.
For Sharapova, it seems more like being a spoiler’s role though the thought or returning to the finals after a four year absence could be something worth aiming for.
Who will win? If Sharapova gets a hot start and maintains it, an upset of sorts could be in the works. But if the Russian allows Williams to comeback yet again, tilt it in favour of American.
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