Tennis: Serena advances into quarters

STANFORD: Serena Williams booked a marquee quarter-final against Maria Sharapova as she ousted Russian Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. “I’m sure we’ll both go out and do the best each of us can,” said Williams of her looming clash with Sharapova, another former world number one. “It’s nothing personal. It’s my job and I want to get paid. I leave it on the court.” After winning Wimbledon in 2010, Williams cut her foot and required surgery. She then dealt with blood clots in her lungs and ultimately was on the sidelines until her return at Eastbourne in June. Stanford is her first tournament on US soil since the 2009 US Open.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 30^th, 2011.