Sharapova gave Bouchard a tennis lesson at Rod Laver Arena, romping to a 6-3 6-2 victory in just one hour and 18 minutes. It extends her head-to-head record against the Canadian to a perfect 4-0, and sends her through to her seventh Australian Open semifinal, where she will face compatriot Makarova.
“I'm also facing an opponent (Makarova) that wasn't necessarily a favorite coming into that stage. That's always a tricky situation because she's going to come into that match free and almost happy to be in that situation, and that's dangerous,” Sharapova said.
“I haven't faced a lefty in this tournament yet. She's been using her lefty serve extremely well from what I've seen. I'll be looking out for that, work on a few things tomorrow, and be ready for that match.” But back to her quarterfinal against the Canadian. Comparisons between two blonde, marketable, media-savvy athletes are perhaps too easy. But in the case of Sharapova and Bouchard, the similarities run deeper than that.
Both like to dictate from the baseline with aggressive, first-strike tennis. Both are highly driven and intense competitors, with a reputation for their iciness and mental toughness. Both may not be the most technically-gifted tennis players, but make up for that with their grit and desire. And Sharapova was Bouchard’s idol growing up and; earlier in her career, the Canadian even asked Sharapova if she could wear the Russian’s Nike clothing line, which she now competes in.
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