Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova for the 15th consecutive time, rallying in both sets for a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the Sony Open semifinals on Thursday.
There was a look of cold-steel concentration on Serena Williams's features as she walked on to Centre Court to face Petra Kvitova that hinted at the barrage of cannon fire she was about to unleash at the defending Wimbledon champion.
Top seed Maria Sharapova survived a scare to reach the Wimbledon third round where she was joined by her biggest rival for the women's title Serena Williams on Thursday.
Four-times champion Serena Williams made an excellent start to Wimbledon on Tuesday, coming through an athletic first-round match against Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova that was tougher than the 6-2 6-4 scoreline would suggest.
The crowd was against her, her least favorite umpire was surveying her from her lofty position atop her chair and she was going out to the host nation's heroine.
A shell-shocked Serena Williams crashed to her earliest defeat at a grand slam when she was beaten 4-6 7-6 6-3 by French darling Virginie Razzano.
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and others who have complained about the blue clay at the Madrid Open are "weenies", according to former women's No 1 Serena Williams.
A fired-up Serena Williams sent out a warning to the young pretenders of women's tennis when she powered to a crushing 6-1 6-3 victory over world number one Victoria Azarenka to win the Madrid Open.
Serena Williams marked her first European appearance of the season with victory on the Madrid Open's striking blue clay courts on Monday, but her sister Venus crashed out in the second round.
Former world number one Serena Williams suffered an injury scare less than two weeks ahead of the Australian Open when she was forced out of the Brisbane International with a badly twisted ankle.
BRISBANE, Australia - Five-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams is in doubt for the year's opening Grand Slam on Wednesday after she was forced to pull out of the Brisbane International with an ankle injury.
World No. 2 Maria Sharapova and former top player Serena Williams pulled out of the China Open on Friday, one day before the beginning of the WTA premier event.
Serena Williams on Monday escaped with a fine of $2,000 for her US Open final rant, when she launched an angry tirade against the chair umpire in Sunday's title match.