(Getty)
Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova. It’s the biggest rivalry in sports that isn’t really a rivalry.
Ever since Sharapova shocked the world and defeated Williams at Wimbledon in 2004 to capture her first major at the age of 17, Serena has been unrelenting in her dominance of the Russian. But before we get into that, here’s a look at all the viewing information you need to know about Thursday’s semifinal at the All England Club:
Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova, 2015 Wimbledon Semifinal
Sharapova and Williams pose with their trophies following Sharapova’s triumph at Wimbledon in 2004. (Getty)
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2015
Time: Around 10 a.m. ET (The match will take place after Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Garbine Muguruza, which begins at 8 a.m. ET)
Location: Centre Court, All England Club (London, England)
TV Channel: ESPN in the US; BBC One and BBC Two in the UK
Live Stream: WatchESPN in the US; BBC iPlayer in the UK
Sharapova actually followed up her 2004 Wimbledon victory with a win at the WTA Finals later that year, but that would be the last time she beat Serena. Spanning the last decade, Williams has won all 16 head-to-head meetings (17-2 overall), and not many of them have been close.
Serena crushed Sharapova, 6-1, 6-2, at the 2007 Australian Open final. She dropped just a single game at the 2012 Olympic gold-medal match. In her 17 wins, she has lost only three sets and held Sharapova to one win or less in 10 different sets. It has been utter domination.
Wimbledon is actually one of the few places Sharapova has fared decently against Serena. She was crushed at the 2012 Olympics, but she was victorious in 2004 and won 10 games (we’ll call that relative success in terms of this matchup) in a 2010 battle.
Still, make no mistake about it. Just like it has been for the last 10 years, Sharapova, despite being ranked fourth in the world, enters a match against Serena as a massive underdog.
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