Serena and Sharapova Both Into Madrid Quarterfinals
Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova have both advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 Mutua Madrid Open. Sharapova was a 6-2, 7-5 winner over Sabine Lisicki, while the top-seeded Serena was a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Maria Kirilenko. Serena is now 25-1 on clay since the start of last year’s clay court season.
"She’s the kind of opponent that plays extremely well against top players—you can see that from her results, and she beat me last year at Wimbledon," Sharapova said. "This was our first meeting on clay, so a little different, but overall it was about keeping my intensity as much as I could. Maybe you’re not going to play with intensity every point, but the more you do, the better chance you have of winning."
Serrena’s top spot in the WTA Women’s Singles Rankings is in jeopardy this week. If Sharapova does one round better than her, she will take over the top spot. If Serena loses in the quarterfinals, Sharapova will take it by reaching the semifinals; Williams semifinals, Sharapova final; and Williams final, Sharapova champion.
"I just felt really relaxed today—I was just taking my time," Serena said. "I think the match was okay. I haven’t had a chance to talk about it with my team yet, but I will. I’m a perfectionist—I always look for things I can try and do better. When we get together I’ll see what I can do better."
