Maria Sharapova led Russia into these Olympic Games as team flag bearer and refused to allow compatriot Maria Kirilenko to stay in step today. In an all-Russian semifinal that began with a march of Marias onto Court 1, Sharapova powered past her former doubles partner, 6-2, 6-3, to advance to the gold medal match.
Sharapova opened her first Olympics as flag bearer and will close the tennis competition wearing a medal. A fiercely focused Sharapova won four consecutive games to close the first set, then reeled off four straight games to seal the second. Unleashing imposing ground strokes with the force of a woman intent on bending blades of grass while backing up her opponent, Sharapova struck five times as many winners (35 to 7) and fought off four of the five break points she faced in a ruthless performance.
Kirilenko showed her all-court skills in upsetting 2011 Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova and reaching semifinals in both singles and doubles. Her desire was unwavering, but Kirilenko lacked the firepower to truly trouble Sharapova today as she fell into a triple-break point hold in the sixth game. Cornering Kirilenko with a series of forehands, Sharapova stepped up to a mid-court ball and hammered an inside-out forehand winner to break at love for 4-2. Navigating through two deuces, Sharapova smacked an ace down the middle to hold for 5-2. Then she laid it on the line.
The Roland Garros champion hits such a heavy, hard, flat ball, Kirilenko was increasingly forced to lean a little to cover the crosscourt shot. A shrewd Sharapova took advantage, smacking successive forehand winners down the line to draw even at deuce. Two points later, Sharapova blasted a backhand winner down the line to seize the 36-minute first set with a declarative strike punctuated with an emphatic "Come on!" Sharapova's significant power advantage enabled her to push Kirilenko into the corners. The third-seeded Sharapova detonated 18 winners compared to 3 for Kirilenko in the opener.
The 15th-ranked Kirilenko, who upset Sharapova in the opening round of the 2010 Australian Open, hits harder than her slender frame suggests and used the advantage she has in this match-up — her quickness around the court — to flick a dazzling stretch forehand on the full run to coax an error and earn break point. Sharapova scattered a double fault wide to surrender serve and trail 2-3 in the second, but that would be Kirilenko's last stand. As both women amped up the volume of their shrieks and shots, Sharapova had the last word, whipping an inside-out forehand winner to break back for 3-3. Two games later, she leaned into a lashing backhand winner crosscourt and Sharapova had the decisive break for 5-3.
Spending some changeovers with her eyes shut as if meditating on the task at hand, Sharapova was in full flight in the final game. Eyes widening with opportunity, Sharapova streaked forward, slammed a forehand swing volley winner and thrust her arms in the air after wrapping up an 89-minute triumph.
Two months after completing the career Grand Slam, Sharapova is now one win from achieving the rare career Golden Slam — capturing all four majors and the Olympic gold medal. It won't come easily. Sharapova will square off against either five-time Wimbledon winner Serena Williams or world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, who are both bidding for their first Olympic singles medal.