Sharapova reaches semis in Paris

The last Russian remaining at the Roland Garros, Maria Sharapova, has returned to the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in more than three years, beating Andrea Petkovic 6-0, 6-3.

Sharapova had little trouble against 15-seed Petkovic. The Russian won the opening eight games and then overcame two breaks to take the second set.

Already the owner of titles from Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open, Sharapova is trying to become the tenth woman to complete a career Grand Slam.

The seventh-seeded Russian is in the semifinals at Roland Garros for the second time.

Sharapova will next face Li Na of China, who beat fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 7-5, 6-2. The news must be welcomed in the Russian`s camp as Azarenka is regarded one of the most undesirable opponents for Sharapova.

However, it will not be a cakewalk for Sharapova. The Chinese native is having her best season as a pro, having reached the Australian Open final in January and also climbed to a career-high sixth spot in the WTA rankings.

Meanwhile, the Russian has arguably enjoyed more financial than tennis success in 2010. The 24-year-old found herself in the Forbes Top 50 of the world`s highest-paid athletes. She is also the only woman on the list.

Sharapova, ranked 29th on the list, earned a total of $24.2 million last year. That is one spot below basketball star Amare Stoudamire, who recently signed a long-term deal with New York worth close to $100 million.

Tiger Woods holds the top earnings spot with a total of $75 million in 2010. NBA mega-stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are catching up to the golfer, having cashed in $53 and $48 million respectively.

sections: Sport