Kvitova to meet Shaprapova in Aussie semis

Wimbledon finalists Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova advanced Wednesday and will meet again in the women's semi-finals at the Australian Open. Sharapova knocked off fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova 6-2, 6-3 in Wednesday's semifinals while Kvitova rallied to defeat Sara Errani of Italy 6-4, 6-4. The second-seeded Kvitova is 2-1 lifetime against No. 4 seed Sharapova. The 21-year-old Czech beat Sharapova in last year's final at Wimbledon. Kvitova was down 4-1 in the second set against Errani but prevailed with 36 winners to Errani's 17. Sharapova hit 26 winners and won 71 percent of her first serves against Makarova, who stunned American Serena Williams in Monday's fourth-round match. Sharapova improved her quarterfinals record at the Australian Open to 5-0.