Share

Battling Sharapova advances

Melbourne - Russian third seed Maria Sharapova admitted on Saturday she must improve to stay in the Australian Open after battling through another tough match against France's Alize Cornet.

The four-time Grand Slam champion came out on top 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) in one hour 51 minutes, but her killer instinct deserted her in the second set when she failed to serve out for victory, forcing a tiebreak.

"I think I can take a few positives from this match. One being the fact that I was able to win it not playing my best tennis," she said after setting up a clash with 20th-seeded Slovak Dominika Cibulkova for a place in the quarter-finals.

"There are definitely things I'm going to have to improve and do better moving forward, because it only is going to get tougher."

Sharapova is still on the comeback trail from a shoulder injury and she was also pushed hard in draining heat during her second-round match against Karin Knapp, eventually coming through a marathon third set that went 10-8.

Despite those energy-sapping conditions she showed few ill-effects on Saturday, although in temperatures that were some 20 Celsius cooler she was still using ice vests on the changeovers.

And she admitted that the Knapp match had taken its toll.

"Everyone that played a long match in those conditions is going to feel physically and emotionally tired, and that's the way it goes," she said.

"You just have to find a way to get through it. You know, that's what I did. It was quite tough in the end. I was happy I was able to finish (against Cornet) in two."

Getting past Sharapova was always going to be a big ask for Cornet. She has only beaten a top-10 player twice in her career and had only been beyond the third round once in 31 Grand Slams.

In contrast, the Russian has reached eight major finals and won four, with her last success coming at the French Open in 2012.

The third seed got the match underway serving to love and made an early breakthrough in a tight second game highlighted by a series of entertaining baseline rallies, breaking to go 2-0 ahead when Cornet hooked a forehand long.

Sharapova's serve was finding its mark and she comfortably held before her pinpoint ball placement forced Cornet into a series of errors that allowed her to go 4-0 in front.

But her serving issues returned in the fifth game when a double fault gave Cornet a second break point and she grabbed the opportunity.

Unperturbed, the Russian broke straight back and served out for the set.

Sharapova threw away a chance to ram home her advantage in the third game of the second set, blowing three break points as Cornet fought a rearguard action.

The Frenchwoman, who partnered Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to Hopman Cup success this month, made the most of her reprieve, breaking the third seed with a deft drop shot to take a 3-1 lead.

But she wasted the advantage when she let the Russian break back.

With the finish line in sight, Sharapova got another crucial break in the seventh game to go 4-3 in front. Cornet saved a match point on her serve at 3-5 to keep the tie alive but Sharapova then failed to serve out for the match.

She paid the penalty with the showdown going to a tiebreak.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1473 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2252 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE