SHARAPOVA STAYS SHARP ANOTHER QUICK WIN FOR TOP SEED.

Byline: MATTHEW KREDELL Staff Writer

CARSON -- Facing an old nemesis and the fifth seed did nothing to slow Maria Sharapova's roll through the JPMorgan Chase Open.

Sharapova remained perfect in sets on the week with a 6-2, 6-4 win over fellow Russian Dinara Safina on Friday at Home Depot Center.

The top-seeded Sharapova, ranked fourth in the world, is in the semifinals for the ninth time in 10 tournaments played this year.

Including her championship in San Diego, she's won eight consecutive matches.

She advances to face another compatriot, Elena Dementieva, tonight at 7 p.m. Dementieva came back from a set down to beat Bethanie Mattek 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.

The only time Sharapova hasn't reached the semis this year was a fourth-round loss to Safina at the French Open. Safina had won their last two matches, though, with the win, Sharapova now leads the series 3-2.

It appeared the players were going to swap breaks in the early going.

Sharapova broke in the third game, lost her serve in the fourth and broke again in the fifth. She trailed 0-40 in the sixth before coming back to deuce. An ace up the middle to take the game prompted Sharapova to pump her fist and shout ``Come on!''

Sharapova dominated the rest of the set, taking a short ball off the net cord and punishing it with a crosscourt forehand winner to finish off the set.

Safina took a medical timeout between sets for treatment on her left wrist. She returned to the court wearing a bandage.

The second set was the first challenge Sharapova has faced in the tournament. She broke to lead 4-3 on a backhand crosscourt winner.

However, serving for the match at 5-4, Sharapova fell behind 15-40. She forced deuce and closed it out with consecutive service winners.

Serena Williams continued to do things the hard way, falling behind a set for the second time in 17 hours before recovering for a 6-7 (4), 6-1, 6-4 victory over Meghann Shaughnessy.

At 4-4 in the first-set tiebreaker, Shaughnessy scorched a backhand winner down the line past a flailing Williams, who hit long on the next two points.

``I honestly should have won that first set,'' Williams said. ``I had a couple of chances to break and missed a couple easy shots. I thought I had a chance to win that, and I just let it slip away.''

Williams came out and dominated the second set, just like in Thursday's 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Daniela Hantuchova. She broke Shaughnessy's first two service games and got one more to end the set.

The hometown crowd was getting nervous in a tight third set that was on serve through seven games. Williams appeared to take control in a brilliant eighth game. She hit three consecutive winners for triple-break point and took the game when Shaughnessy hit a forehand long. Having not lost her serve all match, Williams ran into trouble trying to close it out. Her apparent backhand winner at 15-40 was challenged by Shaughnessy and proved to be long.

But Williams came right back to have two match points on Shaughnessy's serve. Shaughnessy got one back with an ace, then double faulted for the 10th time to end it. Williams had just one double fault compared to 12 aces.

Williams advances to face Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, a 6-4, 7-6 (6) winner over countrywoman Ana Ivanovic, in the semifinals today at 7p.m.

Playing in her second tournament since taking six months off to rehabilitate a knee injury, Williams woke up without much soreness from the ankle she twisted during a tumble Thursday.

``I'm still on the track up,'' Williams said. ``I didn't peak at all. I played pretty solid and played some good points at times. But I'm just steadily moving forward.''

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Photo:

(color) Maria Sharapova reacts during her semifinal victory over Dinara Safina on Friday at the JPMorgan Chase Open.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

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JPMORGAN CHASE OPEN SEMIFINALS