Sharapova books Indian Wells final against Wozniacki

By reaching the final, Sharapova is projected to rise one spot to No. 2 in the world when the new rankings are announced on Monday.

“It's better than three, right?” said Sharapova, who was more focused on capturing a first title since her 2012 French Open victory gave her a career Grand Slam.

She is playing in only her third tournament of the year. After withdrawing from Brisbane with a right collarbone injury she reached the semifinals at the Australian Open and Doha.

The Russian lifted the trophy in the California desert in 2006 and was runner-up last year to Victoria Azarenka.

But in Wozniacki, who outlasted fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, she'll be up against an opponent with an equally strong Indian Wells resume: a title in 2011 and a runner-up finish in 2010.

“She's always a tough opponent,” Sharapova said of Wozniacki. “She's a grinder. She makes you work really hard on the court and gets a lot of balls back.”

Although Sharapova built a 3-1 lead in the opening set, she thought she could have started even stronger against the 15th-seeded Kirilenko, whose triumph at Pattaya City made her the only semifinalist to have won a title this year.

“I felt like it could have been up 4-0,” Sharapova said, adding that she wanted as much cushion as she could build against a player who had already beaten third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska and fifth-seeded Petra Kvitova en route to the semifinals.

“She's had a few comebacks in this tournament and really good results,” Sharapova said. “So, yeah, I stepped it up in the second set.”

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