Sharapova ends Henin's winning run

Maria Sharapova ended the 32-match winning streak of world number one Justine Henin with a crushing 6-4 6-0 quarterfinal victory over the Belgian top seed at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
 
In the semifinals Sharapova will face Serbian third seed Jelena Jankovic, who ousted defending champion Serena Williams 6-3 6-4.
 
Fifth-ranked Sharapova was beaten by Henin at the season-ending championships in Madrid in one of the longest-ever women's tour matches -- 3 hours and 24 minutes
 
But she came out hot on a cool night, constantly putting pressure on the Belgian player and refusing to wilt when things got tight.
 
"I really felt like I was in my own bubble today," said Sharapova.
 
"I came on the court, I wasn't trying to pay attention to her record or how many tournament's she won, which is an incredible number.
 
"It's amazing when you go out on court and you feel like you're doing the right thing."
 
She was looking forward to taking on Jankovic.
 
"We kind of grew up together, practising at the same academy," Sharapova said. "It's a bit strange. We were always doing the same thing, playing the same groups. It was both of our dreams playing in a Grand Slam, especially playing each other."
 
Sharapova, going for winners and keeping Henin on the run with deep, stinging groundstrokes, rushed to a 3-0 lead in the first set. Henin, the crowd favorite in packed Rod Laver Arena, kicked a ball after a fault in a rare show of anger.
 
She broke Sharapova as she served for the first set at 5-3, only to be broken on a pair of backhand winners in the next game by the Russian, who let out a scream of joy and relief.
 
With little going right for Henin, who won the French Open and U.S. Open titles after missing the Australian Open last year, Sharapova rushed through the second set, ripping 15 winners to only five unforced errors.
 
It was the first time that Henin had lost a set 6-0 since she was beaten in the first round at the 2002 French Open by Aniko Kapros, a qualifier from Hungary.
 
Jankovic was seeded third and Williams seventh, so technically, her victory was not an upset. But as well as Jankovic has been playing in rising through the rankings, she has never reached the final of a Grand Slam, while Williams seemed to be close to the form which enabled her to dominate women's tennis.
 
Uncharacteristically she struggled, sometimes smashing her racket in frustration.
 
"My shots just weren't right," Williams said. "I didn't move the way I traditionally want to move, and I wasn't feeling 100 percent. But as an athlete, you know not every day you're going to feel 100 percent, and some days you have to win feeling 30 percent.
 
"I'm not going to sit here and make excuses," she added, refusing to specify what was wrong with her physically. "I lost because Jelena played better than me and I made too many errors. I think regardless, the match was on my racket, and I gave it away."
 
Williams beat Jankovic in the fourth round here last year, and there was little cause to think this would be any different, especially with the Serbian woman still not completely recovered from a thigh injury suffered shortly before the tournament began.
 
Jankovic said: "It was an unbelievable match, I am still shaking."
 
Jankovic, is in the semifinals for the first time at Melbourne Park, and only the third time at a major, added: "I came here with no expectations -- it's amazing to beat the defending champion and in general a champion like Serena, it doesn't happen every day."
 
Jankovic served for the match at 5-3, only to be broken herself. Williams led 40-15 in the next game only to fall apart again, double-faulting to set up match point, then sending a forehand wide.
 
Jankovic had to fend off three match points in the third set of her first-round match, which included 15 service breaks, before edging Tamira Paszek 2-6 6-2 12-10.
 
She followed that with straight-sets wins over Edina Gallovits and Casey Dellacqua and was taken to three by No. 30 Virginie Razzano.
 
Jankovic lost to Williams in the fourth round In Melbourne last year, between runs to the semifinals at the 2006 U.S. Open and 2007 French Open -- her best efforts in Grand Slam tournaments to date.
 
"Now, getting revenge it feels so good," said the 22-year-old Jankovic, who is now 3-2 in her career against Serena Williams.
 
"I've beaten the Williams sisters a couple times. But here it is very special."
 
After taking the first two games, Williams became increasingly sluggish and was often caught flatfooted, left to watch as Jankovic's shots landed for winners or to whack unforced errors awkwardly into the net.
 
Her shoulders frequently drooped as the points piled up against her.
 
The fans shared her disbelief, with one shouting: "Wake up Serena!" By the time sister Venus showed up, Williams had lost the first set -- squandering five break points in two games and netting an easy forehand volley on set point.
 
After Jankovic broke her for a 3-1 lead in the second on a stinging backhand, Williams angrily spiked her racket, earning a warning from the umpire for racket abuse.
 
That seemed to kick-start her for a while, as Williams broke in the next game to get back on serve.
 
Both women received medical treatment at the changeover, Jankovic for a persistent thigh ailment and Williams for a blister on her right big toe.
 
The day got worse for Serena when she and sister Venus were beaten in the doubles when Chinese duo Zi Yan and Jie Zheng came from behind for a three set victory.
 
Serena still backed Venus to win her first Australian title in nine attempts.
 
"I definitely hope the best for her and I want her to go all the way," she said.
 
"I think she's the best player, the toughest competition for me whenever I play her. She's playing so solid. I think she'll do really well."
 
Venus had to rally from service breaks in the first set before advancing to the Australian quarters for the first time in five years with a 6-4 6-4 win over Marta Domachowska, a qualifier from Poland.
 
She next faces No. 4 Ana Ivanovic, who had a 6-1 7-6 win over Denmark's Caroline Woznicki.
 
No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova is also back in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003 after beating No. 27 Maria Kirilenko 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 and will next play Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who upset No. 14 Nadia Petrova 1-6, 7-5, 6-0.