When is sharapova playing wimbledon 2011

Need you have asked? It's nearly 2. Ready, play. But she wins her first-ever point in a grand-slam final after Sharapova hits long, then sends her opponent skittering this way and that after kicking a beautiful serve wide right.

Sharapova comes straight back at her, though, with a couple of big points, Kvitova struggling to return. Sharapova breaks. Not such a strange move to opt to receive, then. A very wise decision. It's only the fifth time Kvitova's serve has been broken all fortnight.

What a response by Kvitova, who wins the break straight back. The first point looks like it's been won by a lovely cross-court shot, left to right, by Sharapova, but Kvitova races across and whips a delicious winner down the right-hand sideline. Amazing shot, and one that rocks Sharapova on her heels. She's soon down, and though she saves the first break point, the inevitable occurs on the next one. This already promises to be a toe-to-toe battle, both women having already landed one huge blow.

More, please! And now a serve held, though it took some work. Kvitova slices a couple of huge serves out wide, Sharapova overcooking the returns, sending them well outside the sidelines. She's up, but Sharapova fights back, and skelps a massive forehand down the left-hand sideline to bring the game to deuce. The Russian's soon earned a break point, but Kvitova - on her second serve - wallops a huge forehand to the right-hand corner of Sharapova's court to save the game.

Kvitova's soon chalking it up after forcing Sharapova out wide left with a big serve, then dispatching the return down the right-hand sideline.

This is becoming a mighty battle already. The wheels have been known to clank off Sharapova's serve now and then, and she delivers her first double fault at Her next first serve flies into the net too, and you can hear the sharp intakes of breath being taken by her coaches.

Fortunately for the Russian she booms an unreturnable serve down to bring the game back to , and soon enough the game is secured, though Kvitova had half a chance to make a cross-court winner and earn a break point, only to wildly overcook her double-handed skelp. The least dramatic game so far, if you were to insist on ranking them thus. A solid, fuss-free service game from Kvitova. After looking understandably jittery in the first game or two, she appears to have totally settled now.

Sharapova is taking bloody ages between serves, much to the annoyance of Kvitova, who very much likes to get on with it, and has taken to hopping and bobbing around in the agitated fashion. Some venom in one return sends Sharapova skidaddling miles wide left of court; she's nowhere as Kvitova approaches the net to finish the point off with a mammoth smash down the middle.

Having brought the game to by doing so, Sharapova serves out the game, though not in the way she'd like: two comically poor double faults hand the game to the Czech.

This is very worrying for Sharapova. Boom boom boom boom. Private Baldrick would love Kvitova's serve. Either that, or a fox just got run over on Merton Road.

Just as we thought the reading on the celebrity-o-meter couldn't get any lower, duplicitous manifesto-mangler Nick Clegg pops up, and the needle shears right off. God save us from more eejitry. Sharapova starts the service game with her third double fault in a row, but gets it together staunchly, scrapping through a few points to But she's pegged back to deuce, Kvitova launching a searing winner down the right-hand sideline.

I had my success really early in my career, and I don't regret it for one second. I think maybe if I achieved big things when I was a little bit older, not 17, maybe I wouldn't be seen as more of a veteran. I'd still be considered young. Lisicki is the player who has made the most headlines with her run through the draw. The German was a quarter-finalist two years ago and on the verge of the top 20 before an ankle injury ruled her out for five months.

She dropped outside the top earlier this year but won the grass-court tournament in Birmingham and was awarded a wild card into Wimbledon. Her serve is her biggest weapon and Sharapova knows she is a realistic threat. The No5 seed said: "A player that's playing with so much confidence and really great grass-court tennis is always very dangerous.

Vandeweghe accused Sharapova of a lack of sportsmanship after the match, claiming her opponent had tried to put her off while she served. When I felt like it wasn't being reciprocated, that's when I spoke with the umpire for her to deal with.

Maria Sharapova beat Coco Vandeweghe in three sets to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals. A rash of errors left Sharapova down but she took nine of the next 10 games against the German wildcard.

Both players struggled on serve, with Sharapova hitting 13 double-faults, but some big groundstrokes saw her through.

Sharapova, who has fought back from a serious shoulder injury that threatened to end her career, is into her first Grand Slam final since the Australian Open and will be favourite to triumph against Kvitova.

But she was fortunate that year-old Lisicki crumbled and was unable to produce the kind of tennis that had made her the surprise package of this year's tournament.