Maria Sharapova reached her first final of 2013 on Friday, beating Maria Kirilenko 6-4, 6-3 in a semi-final slugfest to set up a title showdown with Caroline Wozniacki at Indian Wells. 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 semi-finals 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 semi-finalist to have won a title this year. "I felt like it could have been up 4-0," Sharapova said.