Tennis-Open-Sharapova romps into Melbourne final

Fifth seed Maria Sharapova blasted through to her second successive Australian Open final with a 6-3 6-1 drubbing of Jelena Jankovic.

Sharapova, thrashed by Serena Williams in last year's final at Melbourne Park, broke Jankovic at her first opportunity and pounded a barrage of winners past the third-seeded Serb.

The tall Russian raced out to a 5-0 lead but suffered an attack of nerves when serving for the first set, allowing Jankovic to reel off three successive games before she sealed it on her sixth set point.

Jankovic, who has been plagued by shoulder and leg injuries throughout the tournament, received treatment for a lower back problem after the first game of the second set and looked in pain throughout the match.