Maria Sharapova v Sabine Lisicki - live! | Katy Murrells

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First set: *Sharapova 2-3 Lisicki
Sharapova finds her range on her forehand, as she unleashes a couple of missiles. 30-40. Her first break point. Lisicki nets and we're back on serve. Most of the Centre Court patrons have now returned to their seats, by the way. Cue Gary Naylor. "Re the empty seats, I don't think they let the crowd back in until the second changeover and not all of them if there's too many queuing in the corridors. Not sure they bother at Flushing Meadows, where Joe Sixpack seems to be allowed to come and go, eat hot dogs and scratch and fart as he pleases, without the players being unduly disconcerted. If there's enough time between points for endless towelling down, there should be enough time for the paying public to get to their seats."

First set: Sharapova 1-3 Lisicki*
Sharapova opens up with, yes, you've guessed it, another double fault, before battering the ball into submission to get to 15-all. "C'MON," she cries. The Russian finally finds her rhythm and moves 40-15 ahead, but then suddenly she's all at sea once again and it's deuce. Another double and it's advantage Lisicki. Sharapova looks up at her box for inspiration, as her coach urges her to relax. Lisicki attempts a drop shot - a tactic which worked so well for her in the quarter-finals against Marion Bartoli - but it drops well wide. Deuce. Advantage Sharapova. Deuce. Advantage Sharapova. The 2004 champion holds, but not without an almighty scrap.

First set: *Sharapova 0-3 Lisicki
Lisicki once again charges through her serve, holding to 15. Sharapova's won just two points in three games so far. Hardly the start you'd expect from an experienced three-times grand slam champion. There's a subdued atmosphere on Centre Court, not just becaus! e of Sha rapova's terrible start, but also because half of them seem to be off getting their mid-afternoon tea following the first semi-final.

First set: Sharapova 0-2 Lisicki*
In fact it's Sharapova who's showing the nerves at the moment, as she double faults on the first point and then throws in another unforced error. Lisicki then unleashes on the forehand to bring up three break points in double-quick time. 0-40. And a second double fault hands Lisicki the game.

First set: *Sharapova 0-1 Lisicki (*denotes next server)
"Boom Boom" hits the ground running, opening up with a fearsome serve, before holding to 15. No sign of nerves yet from the 21-year-old, who's appearing in her first grand slam semi-final.

The players are already out and warming up, leaving me with next to no time to catch my breath, let alone have a comfort break. This could get uncomfortable. Anyway, these two have only met once before, in Miami earlier this year, when Sharapova prevailed 6-2 6-0. "She kind of kicked my butt last time," said Lisicki. "But it's a semi-final. I got there playing very good tennis. I have nothing to lose. There are no easy matches at that stage. I'm just going to play the best I can."

Afternoon. Sorry for the rushed preamble, I've just scampered over from the Petra Kvitova v Victoria Azarenka game-by-game. So with Kvitova through to her first grand slam final, can Sabine Lisicki do the same, or will Maria Sharapova justify her status as the title favourite and shriek her way into a second Wimbledon final?

"Boom Boom" Lisicki, as the German is known, has been blasting opponents off the court this fortnight, and has a huge serve. No surface is better suited to the 21-year-old's game than grass. Though of course Sharapova's no stranger to bludgeoning the life out of a tennis ball, and played li! ke a wom an possessed in the quarter-finals, so this should be a brutal match.

Both have had their fair share of injury problems. This is Sharapova's first grand slam semi-final since the 2008 Australian Open, after which she had a career-threatening shoulder injury. It's been a long road back, and many lesser characters would probably have given up, especially if they had her millions in the bank. Meanwhile Lisicki is only playing here by virtue of a wildcard, after missing five months last year when an ankle problem was misdiagnosed. And that's without mentioning last month's incident at the French Open, when she had to be carried off court on a stretcher with cramp.


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