Tyrone Siu/Reuters
Serena Williams beat Maria Sharapova for the 18th straight time on Monday, cruising into the Australian Open semifinals with a 6-4, 6-1 victory, winning 12 of the final 15 games in the match.
Considering these are the two best players of their generation, the extent of Serena’s decade-long domination of Sharapova is astonishing. Serena hasn’t just gotten the better of her biggest rival; she’s beaten her more often than she has beaten anyone else, and she has done it without mercy.
Just look at this domination:
1. Serena is 19-2 all-time against Sharapova. She hasn’t lost to Sharapova since 2005, when Serena was 23:
2. Since their rivalry boiled over in June 2013 — with Sharapova calling Serena a home wrecker before apologizing — Serena hasn’t lost a set to her.
3. Since 2010, Serena has taken 28 of 29 sets off Sharapova.
4. Serena has now knocked Sharapova out of seven Grand Slams. If it weren’t for Serena, Sharapova would have at least three more Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal. Instead, Sharapova has five Grand Slam titles and a silver medal.
5. Serena has beaten Sharapova 19 times, her most wins against a single top-10 opponent. She has played her sister, Venus, 27 times, but still hasn’t beaten her as often as she’s beaten Sharapova. Serena is just 16-11 against Venus.