MOSCOW, May 10 (R-Sport) – Maria Sharapova advanced to the semifinals at the Madrid Open after a tidy straight sets victory over Kaia Kanepi on Friday.
Sharapova, the world No. 2, easily took the first set but had to battle through several rallies against Estonia’s Kanepi, ranked 51 in the world, eventually winning the quarterfinals match 6-2, 6-4 in one hour and 22 minutes.
The Russian next faces world No. 6 Angelique Kerber of Germany or Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic. Sharapova has a 4-1 career record against Kerber and she was won six of eight against the lower-ranked Ivanovic.
