Sharapova and Li gain Birmingham final with Russian going for 1st grass-court title in 3 years

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Sharapova and Li advance to Birmingham final

BIRMINGHAM, England — Maria Sharapova beat Alison Riske 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 in the Aegon Classic on Saturday and will play Li Na in the final of the Wimbledon warmup.

The top-seeded Li of China beat fourth-seeded Aravane Rezai of France 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

The second-seeded Sharapova will be playing in her first grass-court final in three years.

“I suppose I knew in my mind that I would be back, but I also knew there were players who had had shoulder injuries who never came back,” said Sharapova, who was off the WTA Tour for 10 months following shoulder surgery in 2008.

The Russian won this grass-court tournament in 2004 and 2005 and was runner-up in 2007.

Sharapova, a former top-ranked player, jumped out to a 4-1 lead over Riske, a 19-year-old American qualifier.

Riske responded by requesting a coaching break — taken with her elder sister Sarah — that appeared to settle her down.

In the second set, Riske kept pace with Sharapova for four games and then managed to break the Russian’s serve with some well-timed returns and the help of a double-fault. The American held her nerve to close out the set despite going 15-30 down at 5-4.

In the third set Sharapova regained the upper hand, breaking Riske twice and finishing off the match with an emphatic ace to secure the third set 6-1.

Riske upset third-seeded Yanina Wickmayer to reach the semifinals.