(updates with semifinal opponent)
By Larry Fine
NEW YORK, Sept 6 - Top seed Maria Sharapova says
she will have to be sharper in her next match if she is to
reach the U.S. Open final.
"I just have to be mentally ready for a very tough battle,"
Sharapova said after squeezing past fellow-Russian Nadia
Petrova 7-5 4-6 6-4 in her quarter-final on Tuesday.
"Every single point is going to be long and it's just a
matter of who wants it more and who is willing to be out there
longer."
Sharapova faces fourth seed Kim Clijsters of Belgium in the
semi-finals.
"I just felt like there were a lot of ups and downs," said
Sharapova, who also beat Petrova in the quarter-finals at
Wimbledon.
"You feel like you're playing good, you make great shots,
then all of a sudden things don't go right.
"I don't think I was there in the second set. It wasn't the
Maria that you usually see on the court, fighting out there,
fighting for every single point.
"I was just mentally kind of down and just said, 'Hey, got
to get back to work now.'"
Sharapova found the range on her crackling groundstrokes in
the third set and led 5-2 before another comeback by Petrova
brought her to 4-5 with two game points on her serve to level
the set at 5-5.
Sharapova, however, forced deuce and claimed victory when a
backhand by the ninth seeded Petrova sailed wide.
"It's disappointing," the 23-year-old Petrova said. "The
last game I had everything in my hands. I had 40-15 up.
"Suddenly I don't know from where a double fault came. Then
I missed an easy backhand and just gave it to her in the
rally.
"I feel like if I would get this game, she would be
fragile, that I could have won the match."