Hantuchova clears her major obstacle

MELBOURNE, Australia -- For all of Daniela Hantuchova’s considerable talent, it’s rather amazing that there have been only three tournament titles on her resume, two of them coming five years apart, at Indian Wells.

She has been on the outer edge of fame since the first Indian Wells win (against Martina Hingis in the final) in 2002. But she always seemed to stumble at the quarterfinal hurdle at Grand Slam events and, at 24, her name has been mentioned later and later in conversations about the next generation.

Hantuchova’s true star turn finally came today at the Australian Open, and after all these years, it was surprisingly easy. The ninth-seeded Hantuchova, of Slovakia, had little trouble with Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, winning their quarterfinal, 6-2, 6-2, and she will next play No. 4 Ana Ivanovic.

“It means a lot,” said Hantuchova of her first Grand Slam event semifinal. “ I guess I had to get through all, you know, the tough times and get experience in order to be able to get to this stage. That’s why I can appreciate moments like this much, much more. I’m definitely enjoying it and really happy.”

For Hantuchova, it just took her a lot longer to gain the sense of Grand Slam entitlement that so easily comes to the likes of the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova, for instance.

“Oh, definitely I feel like my game always belonged there,” she said. “I just needed I guess to improve myself mentally, to believe it. I had people around me saying it to me. It was a matter of time actually myself starting to believe that too.”

Yuri-gate

Who hasn’t gotten used to Yuri Sharapov, the oft-excitable father of Maria Sharapova, and his antics in the players’ box?

He has had plenty to be excited about in Melbourne. His daughter has displayed her big-match credentials, and then some, crushing Lindsay Davenport in a marquee second-round match and then doing the same against No. 1 Justine Henin in the quarterfinals.

But Yuri appeared to step over the line at the conclusion of the Henin match, making what seemed to be a throat-slitting motion, captured by Australian television.

Sharapova was asked several questions about the gesture in her post-match news conference and said she thought he was closing his hood, the same hood that she earlier joked made him look like an “assassin.”

She was told that the movement looked more like a throat-slitting action.

Said Sharapova: “God, you guys notice so many things. I saw him do that because he was so excited. He loves that sweater.”

Quote of the day

“Please give our crying friend a bottle. Thank you,” chair umpire Steve Ullrich, showing a nice sense of humor after Novak Djokovic of Serbia complained about a baby in the second game of the first set of his 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 quarterfinal victory over David Ferrer of Spain.

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com