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NEW YORK -- About the only thing that can get into Maria Sharapova's head is the campy tune featured in her latest TV ad.
"I was dreaming of that song after we shot that commercial like there's no tomorrow," Sharapova says of the West Side Story song I Feel Pretty.
She discussed the catchy melody after beating Tatiana Golovin 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-0) Wednesday to reach her second Open semifinal. "I could not get it out of my head," she says. "Still sometimes I can't. Like when it goes on, I'm like, 'Oh, no, here we go again.'"
As her opponents have learned, infiltrating Sharapova's Fort Knox cranium is nearly impossible. It's one reason the 19-year-old Florida-trained Russian is in the last four of a major for the seventh time in her last 10 Grand Slam tournaments.
"I definitely think that separates her, how she handles mentally the tough situations," says Golovin, who has known Sharapova since they were 8-year-olds at the Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida.
"She's solid as a rock mentally," says Tracy Austin, a two-time U.S. Open champ and TV commentator.
Despite her consistency, fourth-ranked Sharapova is still looking for a second Grand Slam title after her stunning run to the Wimbledon championship two years ago at 17.
Part of the problem is that she keeps bumping into the two women who have won all three majors this year: No.1 Amelie Mauresmo and No.2 Justine Henin-Hardenne.
Sharapova is 0-3 against Mauresmo, her semifinal opponent Friday. Mauresmo is gunning for her third major title of 2006 after winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, where she beat Sharapova in three tough sets in the semifinals.
The other semifinal on Arthur Ashe Stadium pits French Open champion Henin-Hardenne, a winner here in 2003, against 20th-ranked Jelena Jankovic of Serbia.
Sharapova is 1-4 vs. Henin-Hardenne, including a loss in the semifinals at the Australian Open.
Sharapova says knocking on the door so many times does not frustrate her. What does get under her skin -- if not in her head -- is coming off the court feeling like she could have performed better.
"It has nothing to do with getting to the final or winning another Grand Slam," she says. "The last thing I worry about when I go on court is trying to prove anything to anyone."
Athletic Frenchwoman Mauresmo, 27, is a classic late bloomer. Belgium's Henin-Hardenne, with five major titles and the most complete game in women's tennis, is the cool clinician. Jankovic, 21 and making her Grand Slam semifinals debut, is the effervescent upstart.
Three of the four occupy slots in the top four, and all of them, save Jankovic, have reached the semifinals or better in three majors this season.
Henin-Hardenne, 24, will be a heavy favorite vs. Jankovic. The 5-6 Belgian is aiming to reach her fourth major final of 2006 and has looked dominating.
Jankovic, who lost 10 matches in a row in the beginning of the year and contemplated quitting, can be as brilliant as she is miserable. She has upended three top-10 players here to reach the semifinals, though she suffered a minor back injury during practice Thursday, according to her mother, Snezana.
"She's not 100%, but mentally she's ready to go," her mother says.
"Jankovic is playing great tennis," Henin-Hardenne says. "It's going to be a tough, tough one for me."
It is an all-star cast, but the spotlight, as usual, is on global brand Sharapova.
Soon after her Wimbledon win, the 6-2 baseliner with the model looks began signing major endorsement deals with camera and cellphone companies, as well as a firm that launched her personal line of perfume. Endorsement deals with car, watch, toothpaste companies -- and most recently, a reported $20million lifetime deal with her racket manufacturer -- followed.
Sharapova has seemed even more ubiquitous during the first 12 days here. Gossip columnists continue speculating about a romance with Andy Roddick. Her image is splashed on billboards. Her Nike TV ad runs incessantly. New York has been abuzz with Maria Mania.
Whether she can propel her fame further the next three days remains to be seen. Sharapova likes to play first-strike tennis, but Mauresmo can cause her problems with her excellent court coverage and assortment of power and finesse.
"The change of pace probably is something she doesn't like, and that's my game," Mauresmo says.
For Sharapova, the key is to serve big and go for her shots, Austin says. Mental fortitude won't be an issue.
The meaning in the new commercial crisscrossing airwaves is clear: Sharapova is pretty, oh so pretty, but deadly. That's the message she wants opponents to hear.
It's about confidence, Sharapova says about the commercial. "At the end of the day, in my sport, I've got to go out and I've got to win."
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