Maria Sharapova , the No.3 ranked women's tennis player in the world, has been off to rough start in 2013, having lost the Australian Open and the Quatar Total Open to start the year.
However, the 27-time singles titlist, model and tennis star is just two matches away from changing that with a win at the BNP Parabas Open this month. The first of those two matches comes Friday as Sharapova squares off in the semifinals of the tournament with No.13-ranked fellow Russian Marie Kirilenko.
Sharapova earned her shot at the Parabas Open title with a 7-6(6) 6-2 win over Sara Errani Wednesday in the quarterfinals. The match was a rematch of last year's French Open final, in which Sharapova won to seal her career Grand Slam milestone of winning at Wimbledon, the French Open, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open.
Sharapova admitted that she wasn't at her best on that day after beating Errani.
"I didn't play my best tennis throughout the whole match. Sara had many opportunities to win the first set," Sharapova told ESPN after her win. "But I stayed strong and tough. Although I wasn't playing at the highest level, I tried to be as consistent as possible and hang in there. Once I got the first set, I got in a better rhythm, which helped me and gave me more confidence."
Sharapova is no stranger to winning at the Parabas Open, having won there seven years ago. But she will have a challenge on Friday as she takes on Kirilenko, who is fresh off a victory against Petra Kvitova in their quarterfinals match.
After the match, Kirilenko was thrilled to have a chance to get to the finals.
"Finally I reached the semi-finals," a delighted Kirilenko said. "I'm really happy I won this match. I had some problems with my knee during the first set but was able to keep fighting and win."
Kirilenko has already beaten one former Wimbledon champ, Kvitova, to get this far. To beat Sharapova, another ex-Wimbledon winner, she'll need to be at her best, but with momentum building up in her favor, she is poised to play the upset queen.
The other half of the semifinals will be between Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber after No.1-ranked Victoria Azarenka sustained an ankle injury and seventh-seed Samantha Stosur's calf flaired up, forcing both to withdraw from their quarterfinals matches.
The loss was particularly hard for Azarenka, who felt she was playing at the top of her game at the moment.
'I tried absolutely everything I could, but I have been advised by the doctor, by my own team, that it's just a very, very high risk already," she told the Daily Mail.
TV Schedule, Live Stream
The first semifinals match takes place from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday, March 15 on The Tennis Channel.
The second semifinals match airs from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Friday on ESPN 2.
To watch Live Stream match, click on Stream 2 Watch.
Live Score
Live score for both is available on Pro Tennis Live.com.