Miami - Maria Sharapova fought back from one set down to reach the women's final at the WTA and ATP Masters hardcourt tournament on Thursday.
Third seed Roger Federer eased into the the men's semifinals thanks to French opponent Gilles Simon's retirement due to a stiff neck.
Sharapova, seeded 16th, overcame her slow start by winning 11 straight games en route to a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 semifinal victory over Germany's Andrea Petkovic.
Sharapova will be seeking her first title since May 2010, and her first in Miami, playing against the winner of Thursday night's semifinal between third-seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva and 2009 Miami champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus in Saturday's final.
Federer won 12 of the 15 points against Simon, who talked with a trainer during a changeover before conceding the match and shaking hands with Federer.
"He told me he woke up this morning with a stiff neck and couldn't move," Federer said. "It's obviously disappointing when it happens in front of an audience. You get booed off the court -- that's rough. It's not the way you want to move on, but look, I'll take those because they happen quite rarely."
Federer next faces either top-seeded Spaniard Rafael Nadal or seventh-seeded Czech Tomas Berdych.
Federer beat Nadal for the title here in 2005, the last time they played each other in the United States.
Sharapova, who finished runner-up here in 2005 and 2006, missed the tournament from 2008-2010 because of injuries.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com