Serena Wins 22nd Straight, Sharapova Withdraws

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Serena Wins 22nd Straight, Sharapova Withdraws

By Chris Oddo

(May 17, 2013) -- Serena Williams won her personal best 22nd consecutive match at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, while Maria Sharapova was forced out of the draw due to illness.

ATP: Berdych Stuns Djokovic in Rome

Williams, gunning for her first Rome title in over a decade, blasted past Carla Suarez Navarro in 56 minutes, hammering seven aces and saving the only break point she faced. The American has lost only seven games en route to the semifinals. She will face qualifier Simona Halep on Saturday for a shot at the final.

"I've been pretty consistent, and pretty healthy - knock on wood,'' Williams said. "I feel great - never felt better.''

As good as the 15-time Grand Slam is playing, she'll have a hard time reaching the WTA's all-time best winning streak. Martina Navratilova won 74 consecutive matches in 1984.

At 31, Williams is seeking her first French Open title since 2002—the year she last won Rome. She was a first-round casualty at Roland Garros last year, losing to Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano in what was the upset of the tournament, and probably all of 2012, on the women's side.

"I definitely felt like I needed to start strong," Williams said. "It was the same as before, I'm really just focused on me, more or less. I'm in the semifinals now and my goal is to do two better here."

Her opponent in the semifinals, Simona Halep of Romania, advanced past Jelena Jankovic to reach her first semifinal of the season. She also reached the Rome semifinal for the first time in her career, coming from behind to win the final two sets against the world No. 18.

Halep overcame a 3-0 defect and saved two match points at 4-5 down before finally clinching the victory.

She will face Williams for the second time. In their first meeting at Wimbledon in 2011, Williams needed three sets to defeat the Romanian.

Sharapova Withdraws Due to Illness

Maria Sharapova withdrew due to an illness she has been fighting since last week in Madrid, allowing Italian Sara Errani to advance to the semifinals.

"I was already a bit off in Madrid and played though it and it came back last night and I got sick again and it's not smart to compete again," said Sharapova. "Obviously with the French Open coming up it is important to make smart decisions."

Serena vs. Sharapova: The Rivalry that Isn't

In the last quarterfinal of the day, Victoria Azarenka stretched her domination to Sam Stosur to eight wins without a loss, defeating the Aussie 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, despite double-faulting on break points three times during the first two sets.

Azarenka was broken six times on the day, but she held her ground while serving for the set, saving three break points before finally converting on the only match point she would need.

Despite dropping from No. 1 to No. 3 in the rankings this season, the Belarusian moves to 21-1 on the season. She will face Sara Errani in the semifinals on Saturday.

(Photo Credit: AP)