Kvitova, Sharapova Set up Semis Date at French Open

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Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova reached the semifinals for the third time in the past four Grand Slam tournaments, ending 142nd-ranked qualifier Yaroslava Shvedova's upset-filled run at the French Open 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 Wednesday.

She will play against Russia’s Maria Sharapova who knocked out Kaia Kanepi in straight sets earlier on Wednesday.

Shvedova was trying to become the first qualifier in Roland Garros history to reach the semifinals — and only the third to get that far at any major tournament, joining Alexandra Stevenson at Wimbledon in 1999 and Christine Dorey at the 1978 Australian Open.

Shvedova's victory over 2011 French Open winner Li Na in the fourth round marked the only time any defending Grand Slam champion was eliminated by a qualifier.

Maria Sharapova moved another step closer to filling in the last piece of the career Grand Slam, defeating Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 6-3.

The second-seeded Sharapova rolled through her 23rd-seeded opponent in 74 minutes, a much different scene than the three-set win in the fourth round that took more than three hours.

Sharapova made the semifinals at Roland Garros for the third time. She lost at that stage last year and in 2007.

If she makes the final, she is projected to move to No. 1 in the rankings. If she wins the tournament, she'll add the French Open title to her championships at Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008.

Sharapova and Kvitova have played five times in the past, with the Russian leading the series with three victories.

They last met in April on the Stuttgart tournament’s clay with Sharapova winning in straight sets.

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