Sharapova storms into semis; Nadal in Barca QF

Defending champion Maria Sharapova marched into the semifinals of Stuttgart’s WTA tournament with a 6-4, 6-3 win over top-seed Agnieszka Radwanska in Friday’s quarterfinal. 

‘That was a big win for me,’ admitted Sharapova after picking up her 11th straight win in Stuttgart where she is bidding for a hat-trick of titles having won the 2012 and 2013 tournaments. 

Sharapova claimed her ninth win in 11 matches against world number three Radwanska of Poland, but the statuesque Russian did not have things her own way, despite needing only one hour, 39 minutes to claim victory. After a total of seven breaks at the start of the match, as the momentum swung back and forth, Sharapova finally won her first service game to take control of the first set. 

‘That was one of the key moments,’ she said after eventually needing eight match points to claim the win. She will now face either Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro or Italy’s Sara Errani in Saturday’s semifinal. Having won all four Grand Slams, Sharapova is bidding to claim a personal landmark this week in Stuttgart by winning a tournament three times in succession. 

World number one Rafael Nadal maintained his quest for a ninth Barcelona Open title with a comfortable 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ivan Dodig on Thursday, racking up his 42nd win in 43 matches at the tournament. 

The 13-time Grand Slam champion has been far from happy with his form in recent weeks, but after a slow start had far too much for the world number 37 as he broke four times in total before sealing victory in an hour and 23 minutes. 

Nadal was happier with his performance against Dodig than in his second round outing against journeyman Albert Ramos on Wednesday. 

‘I think from on Thursday it is a step forward. I had a bit more intensity in my legs on Friday and I can go away from the court a bit calmer. In the second set I began to play pretty well, so I am happy to win because Dodig is always a difficult opponent. I felt pretty good throughout the match and now I have to prepare for another difficult game on Saturday,’ Nadal said.