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Maria Sharapova says ready to do everything to get 2015 Australian Open title

The Russian tennis star will meet her long-time rival Serena Williams of the United States in the 2015 Australian Open final

MOSCOW, January 29. /TASS/. Even after a series of haunting defeats Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova is more than optimistic before the 2015 Australian Open final against her long-time rival Serena Williams of the United States as she said on Thursday that she would do everything to get the Grand Slam title in Australia.

In the semifinal match on Thursday Sharapova breezed past her Russian compatriot Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-2, while in the other semifinal encounter top-seed Williams knocked out from the tournament her compatriot Madison Keys 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 to advance to the title match.

"I think my confidence should be pretty high going into a final of a Grand Slam, no matter who I'm facing and whether I've had a terrible record, to say the least, against someone or not," the official website of the Australian Open tennis tournament quoted Sharapova as saying after her straight sets victory on Thursday.

"It doesn't matter. I got there for a reason. I belong in that spot. I will do everything I can to get the title," she added.

Both players made their historic first encounter in the Grand Slam finals at the Wimbledon 2004, when two-time defending champion Serena Williams was blitzed in straight sets 1-6, 4-6 by 17-year-old Sharapova.