The thought of playing a long match in the extreme Melbourne heat resulted in a sleepless night for Serena Williams, but the World No 1 need not have worried as she strode swiftly into the Australian Open third round on Wednesday.
Sharapova beat Lindsay Davenport while the defending champion beat Amelie Mauresmo in the women's singles semi-finals at Wimbledon.
Top-seeded Serena Williams said on Friday that she was not sure about the state of her balky right shoulder but felt more relaxed entering next week's US Open than last year.
Serena Williams reached the quarter-finals of the French Open on Monday after a clinical display saw he beat Canadian Aleksandra Wozniak 6-1, 6-2. The 2002 champion, at 27 the oldest woman left in the draw, will face seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova for a place in the last four. The Russian beat Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.
Serena Williams fought off swirling winds and a bold challenge by Czech Klara Zakopalova to reach the second round of the French Open with a 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 win on Tuesday.
Victory in Melbourne would be sure to put a smile on her face, though. It would give her the oft-mentioned 'Serena Slam'.
Second seed Serena Williams admitted closing the roof on Rod Laver Arena because of the soaring temperatures helped her battle back from a first set deficit to beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 on Wednesday. The American's victory prevented a Russian sweep of the Australian Open semi-finals and she will now play Elena Dementieva in the last four on Thursday.
Simona Halep is emerging as one of the few players on Tour.
World number two Serena Williams retired from her first-round match against Francesca Schiavone at the Madrid Open Monday with a knee injury after losing the first set to the Italian.
Serena Williams is under investigation by U.S. Open tournament officials for the ugly outburst she directed at the chair umpire during her loss to Australian Sam Stosur in the final on Sunday.
The top seed celebrated her 23rd birthday with a come-from-behind win over Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final.
Serena Williams edged past Spain's Garbine Muguruza 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach the quarters.
Serena Williams saved three match points and Novak Djokovic revived his stuttering Australian Open preparations in fierce heat at the Sydney International on Wednesday.
Serena Williams extended her winning streak to 29 matches when she beat Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals to continue her run towards a second French Open title on Tuesday.
US won 4-1 against Argentina in the Fed Cup World Group II tie.
Serena Williams summoned all her fighting qualities to beat Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 at the Australian Open on Wednesday after sister Venus's exit. Li Na earlier stunned Venus to become just the second Chinese to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam.
The 43-year-old American, contesting the Wimbledon singles for a record 24th time, still retains the easy power that once made her the queen of Centre Court but succumbed 6-4, 6-3 after a nasty early fall hindered her movement.
Serena Williams takes centre stage on Centre Court when she lines up opposite 16-year-old Tatiana Golovin.
IMAGES from the PNB Paribas Open played at Indian Wells in California on Monday
Serena Williams thrashed Russia's Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-3 on Saturday to win the Australian Open title and reclaim the world number one ranking. The American raced to victory in just 59 minutes to capture her fourth singles title at Melbourne Park, after her previous wins in 2003, 2005 and 2007, and her 10th Grand Slam overall.
The ruthless American needed less than an hour to defeat Sharapova 6-1, 6-1 and notch her 19th consecutive win over the Russian in what some charitably dub a "rivalry."
Defending champion, Serena Williams has accused the Wimbledon organisers of favouring male players at the tournament.
Seventh-seeded Briton Tim Henman was a surprise loser, however, as he went out 7-6 2-6 7-6 to world number 64 Juergen Melzer at the Nasdaq-100 Open.
World number one Caroline Wozniacki might have been better off asking Serena Williams about how to win the biggest tournaments instead of seeking guidance about relationships.
Williams, a record 23-times Grand Slam champion, will be returning to the All England Club for the first time since giving birth to her daughter last September.
Serena Williams is intent on defending her Olympic titles in Rio and finds it sad that several athletes will miss out on an 'amazing' experience because of worries about the Zika virus.
The mother-to-be showed off her baby bump in a flowing green gown as she entered with fianc Alexis Ohanian.
Serena Williams made a triumphant return to the WTA Tour on Thursday, crushing China's Zhang Shuai 6-2, 6-3 in the second round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
Serena Williams capped off yet another successful day at Wimbledon for America's premier tennis family as she followed up her singles triumph by winning the doubles title with sister Venus on Saturday.
World No 1 Serena Williams edged an enthralling battle with third-seed Simona Halep.
Serena Williams's health and gamesmanship were the subjects on everyone's lips at the French Open.
Serena Williams returned to the top of the WTA world rankings on Monday and immediately shared the news with her unborn baby.
As Russian Maria Sharapova and American Serena Williams get ready to slug it out in their big-ticket semi-final, records and history tells us who has had the upper hand.
Serena Williams has clinched the year-end women's World No 1 ranking for the third time in her career after winning two Grand Slam titles during an excellent 2013.
Rafael Nadal thumped Canada's Milos Raonic while to capture his eighth ATP title this season while Serena Williams crushed Romania's Sorana Cirstea in the final of the Rogers Cup on Sunday.
Miami is one of the favourite stops on the WTA Tour because of the city's hip, youthful vibe but the final of Sony Open on Saturday was more about the golden oldies as Serena Williams and Li Na took centre stage.
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