Kuznetsova nets Maria Sharapova, Serena slumps

Madrid: Serena Williams was beaten in the Madrid Open semifinal, a short time after Maria Sharapova also lost. Petra Kvitova defeated the top-ranked Williams 6-2, 6-3 on Friday, while Svetlana Kuznetsova ousted Sharapova 6-2, 6-4. The victory was Kvitova’s first against Williams, a 19-time Grand Slam champion.“I’m just exhausted today. But it’s really good preparation for Roland Garros,” said Williams, who had her serve broken six times.

Earlier, Kuznetsova beat Sharapova for the first time in seven years, breaking her opponent's serve three times and saving the one break point she faced.“I’m just happy to be in the final,” said Kuznetsova, who had never before even reached the semifinals at the Madrid tournament.

Sharapova, who could have returned to No.2 in the rankings with a victory, said she wasn’t able to take advantage of Kuznetsova’s second serves like she had done previously. “Today she had much more pop on her ball than I did, while I felt my shots were a bit too flat,” Sharapova said.