Birmingham, England (Sports Network) - Former world No. 1 star Maria Sharapova was unable to continue her quest for her first title of 2009, losing in straight sets to Li Na in the semifinals of the $220,000 Aegon Classic, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up.
The fourth-seeded Li, who will face Magdalena Rybarikova in the final Sunday, defeated Sharapova 6-4, 6-4 in just under 1 hour, 30 minutes. Sharapova was a perfect 4-for-4 on her break opportunities, but Li had 10 chances to break serve, converting on six of them.
It has still been over a year since Sharapova last won a title, as she won the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Florida on April 13, 2008. Li, who is seeking her third career title, defeated the Russian for the first time in six tries, having fallen to her at this year's French Open in the fourth round.
The 13th-seeded Rybarikova rebounded from losing the first set to post a 3-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Sania Mirza. The 20-year-old Slovakian will seek her first WTA title on Sunday after winning in 1 hour, 34 minutes over her Indian opponent.
The 2009 Birmingham champ will claim $37,000.