Sharapova cruises into Australian Open-2008 final

Maria Sharapova crushed Jelena Jankovic (3) 6-3, 6-1 in a one-sided semi-final Thursday to reach Australian Open final.

"Jelena is always dangerous when she's down," Maria said. "She's proven that in this tournament. I was happy to be able to close that first set out." "I'm really happy I got through and I'm back in the final," said the Russian, who is on a mission to make amends for last year's humiliating loss to Serena Williams in the final. "I had the experience going into last year's final and it didn't turn out too good. I'm just glad that I've been able to play such good tennis and I hope I can continue that for another match." Maria Sharapova will face Serbia's Ana Ivanovic in the final of the Australian Open-2008.

Maria Sharapova advanced to the Australian Open semifinals

Maria Sharapova advanced to the Australian Open-2008 semifinals for the fourth straight year with a convincing 6-4, 6-0 win over top-ranked Henin, ended Justine Henin's 32-match winning run to advance to the Australian Open semifinals for the fourth straight year.

"Even though I beat Justine, it's definitely not over," the 20-year-old Russian star said. "I still have a lot of business to take care of."

"I really felt like I was in a bubble," Sharapova said. "I think it was one of the most consistent matches where I did all the things I wanted to do, and I did them correctly from the beginning to the end ... and just played the way I can play. Ever since the juniors we've always played really tough and we've always battled it out, and it's great to see her in the semis," Maria Sharapova said.

"I came on the court, I wasn't trying to pay attention to her record or how many tournament's she won, which is an increbible number. "It's amazing when you go out on court and you feel like you're doing the right thing."

Maria Sharapova advanced to Quarterfinal

Maria Sharapova pounded fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-0, breaking the 11th-ranked player in six of her seven service games, including one at love to finish off the match in 62 minutes.

“I did a good job of just being solid,” the 20-year-old told reporters. “I was seeing the ball well today. Quarter-final of a Grand Slam is not going to be easy, especially when you're playing against someone that's number one in the world.”

Maria Sharapova confirms she will play Fed Cup in Israel

Maria Sharapova confirmed over the weekend that she plans to come to Israel next month with the Russian national team for its Fed Cup match here. "Yes, I'm coming for sure," the world No. 5 said. "This year the Fed Cup is one of my goals."

When asked about Israeli fans, Sharapova responded jokingly, "I hope to conquer them. I've always loved the Olympics and other events representing my country," she added, though until last year she consistently refused to take part in the Fed Cup. "We're coming in as favorites and we're expected to win, but it won't be hard facing the home crowd.", Russia boasts eight women in the top 30 in the world, so there won't be any problems assembling a team. Still, N2 Svetlana Kuznetsova, N11 Elena Dementieva and N 14 Nadia Petrova said during the Open that they don't plan on traveling to Israel.

Maria Sharapova Is Sony Ericsson’s Global Brand Ambassador

Maria Sharapova recently signed on with Sony Ericsson as its “first global brand ambassador.” She reportedly ended her three-year contract Canon PowerShot cameras. The exclusive sponsorship agreement means that the 20-year-old cannot get involved with another telecommunications company.

According to the press release, the contract calls for four years of exclusivity with Maria Sharapova, and the tennis superstar will also “work with Sony Ericsson’s design team to design a range of new products and accessories.” Maria is now using the Sony Ericsson W350i. The Sony Ericsson W350i is an EDGE phone operating on the 900/1800/1900 bands, whereas the W350a is a quad-band unit that’ll play a little more friendly with North American airwaves. Both iterations are scheduled for a launch in Q2 2008.

The off-court agreement complements Sony Ericsson’s 6 year $88 million global title sponsorship of the WTA Tour which was signed in January 2005 and is the biggest deal in the history of women’s sport. Sony Ericsson’s commitment to women’s tennis has energised the game by bringing fans closer to the experience and taking the sport to new audiences through cutting edge initiatives like night tennis – a fusion of tennis, fashion, music and dance.

"It is really exciting to be working with a cool brand like Sony Ericsson which has such a strong reputation in the entertainment industry," Maria Sharapova said. "Even though most people know me as a tennis player, I have so many passions beyond the sport like fashion, music, film and design; which Sony Ericsson and I are going to be exploring together through our partnership."

Maria Sharapova knocks Lindsay Davenport out of Australian Open

Maria Sharapova thumped former world N 1 Lindsay Davenport 6-1 6-3 in the second round.



"I approached it like a final,'' Sharapova said in a courtside interview at Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena. "From the first point on I knew the serve and return would be the key to the match. I was just ready for that from the first point.''

Maria Sharapova advances in Melbourne

Women’s No.5 Maria Sharapova easily crashed (6-4 6-3) Jelena Kostanic Tosic, who is just the 102nd in the WTA rating, and cruised through to the second round of the Australian Open. The match lasted an hour and 28 minutes.

Sharapova took the opponent’s serve at the start of the first set and secured two breaks in the second one. The former Wimbledon champion’s success in the opening set was founded on her first-service percentages, which saw her hit four aces and keep more than 90% of her first serves in play. But while Kostanic Tosic was unable to live with Sharapova in the first set, the gap between the two closed in the second as Sharapova struggled to maintain her dominance.