Sharapova upset by Li in semifinal

MELBOURNE, Australia - Li Na used the heat to her advantage and worked No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova around Rod Laver Arena in a 6-2, 6-2 win today that put her in the Australian Open final for the second time in three years.

Sharapova was the heavy favorite after conceding only nine games in her first five matches, a record at the Australian Open.

But the semifinal started badly for the 25-year-old Russian, serving double-faults to lose the first two points and conceding a break in the first game.

Li next will play top-ranked Victoria Azarenka, the defending champion, who defeated 19-year-old American Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4 in today's other semifinal.

Li was the first Chinese player to reach a Grand Slam final when she lost to Kim Clijsters at Melbourne Park in 2011. She had her breakthrough a few months later when she won the French Open, beating Sharapova in the semifinals along the way.

The crowd got behind Li early in the match, yelling "Come on, Li Na!" and others yelling "Jia You!" which is "Come on" in Chinese. After she broke Sharapova to take a 5-2 lead, the Chinese fans in the crowd shook Chinese flags and shouted again, "Jia You!"

"I don't know what happened, (but) I always play well here, so thanks, guys," said Li, who was playing her third Australian Open semifinal in four years.

The temperature topped 93 degrees during the first of the semifinals, and the speed of the court surface suited Li's game.

Li broke Sharapova in the third game of the second set and served an ace to move within a point of a 4-2 lead but lost the next three points to give her opponent a break opportunity.

Two big second serves took Sharapova by surprise, and Li fended off the challenge.

Li's coach, Carlos Rodriguez, who worked with retired seven-time major winner Justine Henin, pumped his fist over his heart after Li won the game.

Sharapova had control in her next service game, but Li scrambled from side to side and pushed the reigning French Open champion to go for the lines, getting a series of unforced errors and another break.

Sharapova, who lost the 2012 Australian final in straight sets to Azarenka, admitted it was hard to get into the match against Li.

"She was certainly much more aggressive than I was, dictating the play. I was always on the defense," said Sharapova, who could have gained the No. 1 ranking by reaching the Australian final.

In the other semifinal, Azarenka overcame a sore left ankle, some anxiety and a slew of frustrating forehand errors before fending off Stephens.

Azarenka said in an on-court interview that she "almost did the choke of the year" when she wasted five match points on serve at 5-3 in the second, mostly with unforced errors on her forehand.

Azarenka went to the locker room for medical treatment after dropping that game and then returned to break the 29th-seeded Stephens' serve to finish off the match.

The 23-year-old Azarenka later said the treatment was for chest pain. "I couldn't breathe," she said. "It was like I was getting a heart attack."

Stephens was an upset winner over 15-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

In the men's draw, No. 2 Roger Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam champion, hadn't dropped serve in the tournament until the first set against 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Wednesday. He ended up with a struggle on his hands before advancing to his 10th consecutive Australian Open semifinal with a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-3 win in 3 hours, 34 minutes.

Federer will take on No. 3 Andy Murray in the semifinals, with the winner facing the winner of the match between No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 4 David Ferrer.