PARIS (AP) Maria Sharapova moved another step closer to filling in the last piece of the career Grand Slam, defeating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday to reach the French Open semifinals.
Second-seeded Sharapova rolled through her 23rd-seeded opponent in 74 minutes, a much different scene than the three-set win in the fourth round that took more than three hours.
Sharapova made the semifinals at Roland Garros for the third time. She lost at that stage last year and in 2007.
If she makes the final, she is projected to move to No. 1 in the rankings. If she wins the tournament, she'll add the French Open title to her championships at Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008.