US Open
Sharapova blows away Capra
2010-09-04 23:10
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New York - American upstart Beatrice Capra was blown away at the US Open by the excellence of Maria Sharapova on Saturday in blustery conditions caused by the remnants of Hurricane Earl.
Next up for the Russian former world No. 1 a fourth-round match against top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over Chan Yung-jan of Taiwan.
However, fourth seed Jelena Jankovic struggled in the conditions, losing 6-2, 7-6 (1) to No. 31 Kaia Kanepi.
Sharapova dealt with her opponent and the blustery wind with ease as she thumped the 18-year-old surprise package 6-0, 6-0.
"This is probably the toughest conditions we're going to get," Sharapova said. "But I think last year, it was a similar situation. Third round, quite windy. I had a young opponent who came out and played great tennis. Today, I wanted to make sure I came out, concentrated and was consistent."
It was no easy task on a day when Capra's visor was blown off her head and lets had to be called a number of times because of wind-whipped napkins, hot dog wrappers and towels blowing across the court.
"Experience definitely helps," Sharapova said. "But when you play someone coming up, young and eager, it's always challenging, because they come out with nothing to lose and they can play some great tennis."
Capra, however, never found the level she played at in her earlier wins over No. 95 Karolina Sprem and 18th-seeded Aravane Rezai.
A product of the Evert Academy, the 371st-ranked Capra received a call from tournament officials last month asking if she wanted a spot in a playoff for a wild-card entry. She won that to earn her first entry into the main draw of a tour-level event.
Capra said not even the double-bagel loss to Sharapova could ruin the experience.
"Playing against Maria in Arthur Ashe, yeah, I'd like to do better," she said. "But, you know, that was amazing.
"Before the match, she would just walk past me and kind of, like, give me a glare, which is kind of intimidating. After the match when we shook hands, she was really nice. She said, 'Great tournament. Keep up the hard work.' I think she's a really nice person."
Sharapova will face Wozniacki in a hotly-anticipated fourth-round match. The top seed from Denmark, an Open runner-up last year, has lost a total of three games in three matches.
"I think it just says something about how I've been playing and the level I've been playing on," Wozniacki said. "It's nice."
Jankovic, a former world No. 1, complained about the conditions.
"You toss the ball, and it was all over the place," Jankovic said. "And then you hit the ball one direction, it goes another. You're just getting ready to hit the ball and it just moves away from you."
In men's action, No. 5 Robin Soderling rolled to a 6-2, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Thiemo de Bakker. No. 17 Gael Monfils defeated Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4. And Richard Gasquet backed up his win over No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko with a straight-sets victory over Kevin Anderson.
No. 21 Albert Montanes of Spain advanced when Kei Nishikori of Japan retired in the second set. Nishikori won a five-set, five-hour match over No. 11 Marin Cilic on Thursday but withdrew from Saturday's match with a groin injury.
Others scheduled for Saturday included James Blake, who plays No. 3 Novak Djokovic, and No. 2 Roger Federer, whose match began after Sharapova's.
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