Maria Sharapova knocks out Elena Dementieva in Stanford
Maria Sharapova has recorded her first victory over a top-10 ranked player since last October, defeating world No. 6 Elena Dementieva 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 to book a place in the semi-finals of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford.
It's a result that lends further weight to the argument that the three-time Grand Slam champion is moving closer to her pre-shoulder surgery form, and just in time for the US Open too.
Sharapova, seeded fifth in Stanford, arrived at the tournament without having defeated a player ranked inside the top-40 all year, but soon rectified that situation with a 6-4, 7-5 win over world No. 23 Zheng Zie in her opening match.
Second seeded Dementieva, returning from a calf injury that had kept her out of action since her semi-final retirement against eventual champion Francesca Schiavone at the French Open, had come from a set behind to defeat veteran Kimiko Date Krumm in her opening match.
However, despite rallying to claim the second set from her Russian counterpart in the quarters, Dementieva could not complete the comeback this time around and it’s Sharapova who finds herself one win away from the final, with Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska up next for the world No. 15.
In other quarter-final results, top seed Sam Stosur won past Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer in three sets after at one stage trailing 0-2, 15-40 in the third set. The French Open runner-up will now play Victoria Azarenka in the semi-finals, after the Belarusian defeated defending champion Marion Bartoli 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 in their quarter-final match.
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