Maria Sharapova after beating Jelena Jankovic in their semi-final at the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday. Sharapova won 6-3, 6-1. (AFP)

Melbourne: Double vision unfolded in real time Thursday in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Two powerful baseliners still aiming for their first title here. Two tall Eastern Europeans with model groundstrokes, and fashion-model looks, and even the same consistent habit of wearing a visor at all matches, even indoors.

Yes, Maria Sharapova’s arrival in the Australian Open final seemed all but predestined considering the way she looked in her first five matches, particularly her quarter final against No. 1 Justine Henin.

The fifth-seeded Russian opened fast and closed emphatically, defeating No. 3 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, 6-3, 6-1, in one hour 18 minutes, under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena because of rain. Jankovic needed treatment for her various ailments, including having to leave the court because of an injured back.

But the word predestined certainly did not apply to No. 4 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia after the first eight games of her semi-final against No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia.

Despite losing the first eight games, Ivanovic steadied her nerve and waited, as it often happens, for Hantuchova to lose hers.

Would it be Ivanovic or Hantuchova in the Australian Open final? The answer was Ivanovic after two hours and 10 minutes. She completed the incredible comeback, winning, 0-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Perhaps the seer, Sharapova, had the best assessment. She was in the interview room during the second set of the Ivanovic-Hantuchova match and was asked about the latter winning so easily. “The match is not over yet,” she said.

Reporter: 6-0 is quite an astonishing score for the first set.

Sharapova: “Yeah. But who cares what the first set is. It’s a matter of who wins the match, right?”

Game, set and match, Sharapova.

“I had a really good start to the match, you know, considering the conditions changed so quickly. I warmed up outside,” she said.

Jankovic said: “Everything she hit, each strike was amazing. Even though when she was late or whatever, but it was all going in. She didn’t make a mistake. She was just on a roll. And I was thinking, ‘When is she going to wake up from her dream?’”

Hantuchova’s dream turned into a nightmare after a brilliant start, winning the first set in 25 minutes. It took Ivanovic 46 minutes to prevent the shutout, seizing her first game with a forehand winner.

Until then, it had been all Hantuchova. As it turned out, Sharapova knew what she was talking about.

DAY XI RESULTS

MEN’S SINGLES, semi-finals: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Fra) bt Rafael Nadal (2, Esp) 6-2, 6-3, 6-2

WOMEN’S SINGLES, semi-finals: Maria Sharapova (5, Rus) bt Jelena Jankovic (3, Srb) 6-3, 6-1; Ana Ivanovic (4, Srb) bt Daniela Hantuchova (9, Svk) 0-6, 6-3, 6-4

MEN’S DOUBLES, semi-finals: Arnaud Clement/Michael Llodra (7, Fra) bt Jeff Coetzee/Wesley Moodie (RSA) 6-3, 7-6 (9); Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (8, Isr) bt Mahesh Bhupathi/Mark Knowles (6, Ind/Bah) 6-4, 6-4

WOMEN’S DOUBLES, semi-finals: Alona Bondarenko/Kateryna Bondarenko (Ukr) bt Anabel Medina Garrigues/Virginia Ruano Pascual (10, Esp) 6-2, 6-4

MIXED DOUBLES, quarter finals: Yan Zi/Mark Knowles (3, Chn/Bah) bt Chuang Chia-jung/Jonathan Erlich (6, Tpe/Isr) 6-4, 6-4; Tiantian Sun/Nenad Zimonjic (5, Chn/Srb) bt Cara Black/Paul Hanley (1, Zim/Aus) 4-6, 7-6 (7), 10-8 tie-break

BOYS’ SINGLES, quarter finals: Ryan Harrison (4, US) bt Wu Di (Chn) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0; Bernard Tomic (5, Aus) bt Cesar Ramirez (1, Mex) 6-4, 6-3; Yang Tsung-hua (10, Tpe) bt Jerzy Janowicz (2, Pol) 7-5, 6-1; Yuki Bhambri (8, Ind) bt Daniel Evans (3, GBR) 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3

GIRLS’ SINGLES, quarter finals: Simona Halep (10, Rom) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (1, Rus) 6-2, 6-3; Jessica Moore (Aus) bt Jasmina Tinjic (Cro) 6-4, 6-0; Zhou Yi-Miao (11, Chn) bt Karen Barbat (Den) 6-0, 6-3; Arantxa Rus (14, Ned) bt Bojana Jovanovski (5, Srb) 6-1, 6-3

BOYS’ DOUBLES, semi-finals: Hsieh Cheng Peng/Yang Tsung-hua (Tpe) bt Brendan McKenzie/Nat Maraga (Aus) 6-0, 7-5; Vasek Pospisil/Cesar Ramirez (2, Can/Mex) bt Wu Di/Zhang Ze (Chn) 6-4, 6-4

GIRLS’ DOUBLES, semi-finals: Ksenia Lykina/Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (1, Rus) bt Jade Curtis/Alenka Hubacek (GBR/Aus) 6-2, 6-4; Elena Bogdan/Misaki Doi (Rom/Jpn) bt Marta Sirotkina/Zhou Yimiao (8, Rus/Chn) 4-6, 7-6 (6), 10-7 tie-break