Sharapova Beats Williams Soundly

Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams reached top volume in the final game, swapping shrieks that accompanied their furious shotmaking.

Sharapova was a little louder and a bit better, erasing six break points to close out a 6-4, 6-3 victory Thursday in the semifinals of the Nasdaq-100 Open at Key Biscayne, Fla.

The second-seeded Sharapova advanced to her first Key Biscayne final. On Saturday, she’ll play unseeded Kim Clijsters, who extended her winning streak to 13 matches by ousting top-seeded Amelie Mauresmo, 6-1, 6-0.

Top-ranked Roger Federer and six-time champion Andre Agassi advanced to a semifinal showdown tonight. Federer, bidding for his first Key Biscayne title, beat No. 6 Tim Henman, 6-4, 6-2. Agassi, seeded ninth, won the final eight games to defeat Taylor Dent, 7-5, 6-0.

Federer has beaten Agassi six times in a row and eliminated him at the last two Grand Slam events. The other semifinal will be an all-Spanish matchup between unseeded David Ferrer and No. 29 Rafael Nadal.

Meanwhile, Sharapova committed only 12 unforced errors in 115 points.

“I thought I played really well,” said Sharapova, 22-2 this year. “I was in control for most of the match.”

Williams fell shy in a bid for her fourth Key Biscayne title and her first since 2001.

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Venus Williams will join her sister, Serena, and top-ranked Lindsay Davenport on the U.S. Fed Cup team for its April 23-24 quarterfinal against Belgium at Delray Beach, Fla.

That trio hasn’t played Fed Cup together since 1999, when the U.S. won the team event.