Serena wins battle of fierce shot-making with Sharapova

Champion Serena Williams was dragged into an exhibition of fierce shot-making by Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon on Monday that was a feast for the eyes if not the ears.

The American stepped on court hell bent on settling a six-year-old score against the Russian who beat her in their only previous meeting on grass -- which just happened to be the  2004 final here.

"I gave her a run for her money," said Sharapova who fought tooth-and-nail for 96 minutes before going down 7-6 6-4.

Williams summed up the battle as: "Definitely tense."

When two of the most recognisable faces in tennis face off the world sits up to take notice and the most famous father in tennis -- Richard Williams -- is no different.

After witnessing his other daughter, five-times winner Venus Williams, "play like a hell-cat" in her win over Australia's Jarmila Groth, he hot-footed it to Centre Court to watch the Serena-Sharapova showdown.

But for anyone wandering past the famous tennis stage, they might have thought two alley cats were at each others throats as a multitude of shrieks, yelps and wails floated out of the arena as two of the hardest hitters went for broke.

World number one Serena drew first blood to go 3-1 up in the first set with a scorching service return winner but 16th seed Sharapova was not to be outdone and snatched it back in the next game with some audacious returns of her own.

With neither being able to break the tense deadlock, during one lengthy rally they traded belting groundstrokes as well as ear-splitting grunts -- to the amusement of the giggling fans.

One Serena delivery even rocked the frame high up on the umpire's chair, leaving Enric Molina to bend low to dodge the bullet. 

Despite nearly maiming the Spaniard, Serena refused to tone down her arsenal but still there was no breakthough in sight. Perhaps unable to tolerate the suspense, Richard vacated his seat as the pair entered into a tiebreak.

A Sharapova double fault followed by a sizzling backhand crosscourt moved Serena 3-1 ahead but the Siberian-born Russian who fled to the States with just $70 in her pocket to try and make her name in tennis refused to give up. 

She fought back to earn three set points, but three errors -- including a forehand into the net when all she had to do was punch the ball into an empty court -- left her pulling her sun-visor over her eyes in disbelief. 

She soon paid the price for her easy miss. A double fault from her followed by Serena's 13th ace settled the set in the American's favour which she marked with an almighty roar.

Panic over and Richard returned to reclaim his seat at the start of the second, but the fight appeared to have gone out of 23-year-old Sharapova.

Whereas in the opening set she was finding corners and impossible angles, now the racket face was too low or too high as the winners were replaced by unforced errors, leaving Serena to gain revenge and book a last-eight date with China's Li Na.

"I thought I played really well and I thought I had my chances. If it was not for her really great serving, I certainly had a real good look at winning the match," said Sharapova.

After firing down 63 aces in total in her four matches here, including 19 on Monday, few would bet against Serena making it into her third successive final here.