Sharapova through to Rolland Garros semis

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Published time: June 06, 2012 14:42
Edited time: June 06, 2012 18:42

Maria Sharapova has reached the semi-finals of the French Open, powering past Estonia's surprise package Kaia Kanepi in straight sets.

On Wednesday, the second-seed Russian played much better than she did in her previous match, when she had 12 double-faults and was broken nine times. Still, there were a few problems in the debut of the match, when Sharapova was broken trying to serve it out.

She quickly found her play though and effectively didn’t give the Estonian any hope – 6-3, 6-2.

The Russian is expected to move up to No. 1 in the rankings, overtaking Victoria Azarenka, if she can reach her first French Open final. Trying to stop her will be current Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. The Czech beat Kazakh qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova in three sets.

An even bigger achievement awaits Sharapova if she wins the Paris tournament. She will complete a career Grand Slam, having also won Wimbledon and the Australian and US Opens. Sharapova lost in the Roland Garros semifinals in 2007 and last year.