Sharapova out to complete Grand Slam set

It was a rematch of last year’s Wimbledon final, which Kvitova won, but Sharapova was much the better player yesterday and ensured it was third time lucky after two semi-final defeats at Roland Garros.

The 25-year-old Russian, who last topped the rankings before her shoulder troubles in 2008, will meet surprise finalist Sara Errani tomorrow after the Italian defeated US Open champion Sam Stosur 7-5 1-6 6-3 earlier.

Sharapova had won both meetings with Kvitova since Wimbledon, including a semi-final at the Australian Open, and she looked like she meant business from the start.

The second seed broke for the first time in the fifth game and then again to win the set, and in the second set she quickly moved 3-1 ahead.

Kvitova fought back to level with some big groundstrokes but Sharapova simply broke again and she clinched victory with an ace – mirroring her opponent’s finish at Wimbledon.

The Russian will now have the chance to win the only grand slam title to have so far eluded her and her first since the Australian Open in 2008.

Errani’s success means there will be an Italian in the women’s final for the third year in a row after Francesca Schiavone’s two runs in 2010, when she beat Stosur, and last year’s defeat by Li Na. But the 25-year-old is an even more unlikely finalist – she had won only one match at Roland Garros prior to this year and had never beaten a top-10 player.