LONDON — Maria Sharapova would have done well not to have watched Serena Williams out-slug Victoria Azarenka in a Wimbledon quarter-final of extraordinary quality on Wednesday.
The Russian fourth seed is blocking Williams' path to an eighth Wimbledon final and judging by the way the American bludgeoned her way past Azarenka after losing the first set, she will need to reinforce the barricades with everything at her disposal, then hope the 33-year-old has an off day.
For all her pre-programmed on-court positivity, Sharapova has become a punchbag for Williams since 2004, the year she stunned the tennis world by beating the Amrican to the Wimbledon title.