(updates after second semi-final)
By Matthew Cronin
SAN DIEGO, California, Aug 4 - Top seed Maria
Sharapova ended Anna Chakvetadze's 12-match winning streak and
powered into the San Diego Classic final with a 6-3 6-2 victory
over her Russian compatriot on Saturday.
The defending champion moved on to a final showdown against
Swiss 11th seed Patty Schnyder, who knocked out ninth seed
Elena Dementieva of Russia 7-6 6-0.
Sharapova had little trouble defeating Chakvetadze, who
appeared to be cramping late in the second after playing
competitive tennis for three consecutive weeks.
"The quality of the first set was better than the second
where I didn't have to give as much, but it can get tricky and
I'm glad to get it done," Sharapova told reporters.
Chakvetadze had played Fed Cup and won titles in Cincinnati
and Stanford before arriving in San Diego.
After playing for more than two and a half hours in beating
Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in a three-set quarter-final
on Friday, she appeared to have lost some of her zip around the
court.
"I felt tired and couldn't run," Chakvetadze said. "I
wasn't able to fight like yesterday because I didn't have much
time to recover. But Maria played really well and hit a lot of
winners."
PATCHY SEASON
Sharapova ended the contest with 26 winners to only five
from Chakvetadze and broke her fellow 20-year-old five times.
While 2006 U.S. Open champion has maintained the world
number two ranking, Sharapova has not won a title since Linz
last October.
"As a pro what you really want to do is win the majors,"
she said.
"These tournaments are preparation and the matches that you
want to get in."
After a patchy season where she had only reached one
semi-final prior to San Diego, the left-handed Schnyder has
regained her form this week.
Against Dementieva, she mixed up the pace of her backhand
and took big cuts with her forehand.
"She's a unique player," Dementieva said. "She's very
talented and sees the game differently."
The 28-year-old Schnyder enters her match against Sharapova
with a 1-5 record against the Russian, including a tough
three-set loss at the French Open, but believes she has a
chance.
"I can hardly play any better than I have the last two
days," Schnyder said. "I like the speed of the courts, I'm
moving really well and I feel in great shape.
"Unlike some other players, at least I feel like I have a
shot against her."