US Open
Sharapova sends out warning
2010-09-03 08:25
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New York - Maria Sharapova gave further indications on Thursday that she is close to being back to her best after an injury-blighted 2009 as she stormed into the third round of the US Open.
The 23-year-old Russian glamour girl powered past Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-2, sending out a warning that she is capable of winning for a second time at Flushing Meadows, four years after her first title.
"Last year here, the position I was in, I was trying to see where my game was, so it's nice to be back on the court and not having to worry about anything other than trying to win," she said.
The win sets her up nicely for a possible showdown with top seed and runner-up here last year, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, in the fourth round.
First though, she must overcome 18-year-old American wildcard Beatrice Capra in Saturday's third round.
Wozniacki powered her way into the third round by handing out a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing to Taiwan's Chang Kai-Chen.
It was an impressive performance by the 20-year-old Dane, a surprise finalist here last year who, in the space of the last 12 months, has established herself among the elite in the sport.
She needed just 47 minutes to record her 11th straight win, which includes back-to-back titles in Montreal and New Haven, her third and fourth of the year, the most of any woman.
In two matches at Flushing Meadows, she has lost just two games.
"I go out there and I don't give up. I don't give any free points away and that is one of my strong points," said Wozniacki of her merciless display against Chang.
"I am feeling fresh, all recovered (from an ankle injury), from everything. I am happy to be playing injury-free. It's perfect."
Wozniacki will play another Taiwanese player, Chan Yung-Jan, for a place in the fourth round and a possible match against Sharapova.
Chan advanced to the third round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in 17 attempts when she defeated Austria's Tamira Paszek 6-3, 6-3.
The previous best for the 21-year-old from Taipei had been second-round appearances at the Australian Open in 2009, at Wimbledon this year and here in 2008.
She was in command from the start against Paszek, once touted as a budding star of tennis, but who has struggled with injuries over the last two years.
"I was not 100 percent in my first match and was missing the easy ball," Chan said. "But that was better today and I am looking to play even better from now on in."
The prospect of playing the top seed Wozniacki was not awesome, she said, as they had known each since they were juniors and had played several times.
"Also I love playing on the big courts," she added.
There was an upset on the Grandstand Court though as the unheralded Capra ousted French 18th seed Aravane Rezai 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
Capra is making her debut in a WTA Tour tournament, and was the youngest player remaining in the women's draw and also the lowest-ranked at 371.
"A year ago I was playing the juniors here. I've been playing mostly the juniors tournaments the entire year and concentrating on that. I played a couple of pro circuit events and one okay, but it's been mostly juniors," she said.
Playing Sharapova she said would be "an amazing experience."
Collated results of Thursday's women's and men's matches at the US Open tennis championships (x denotes seed):
Women:
2nd round
Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) bt Tamira Paszek (AUT) 6-3, 6-3
Patty Schnyder (SUI) bt Maria Jose Martinez (ESP x22) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4
Yanina Wickmayer (BEL x15) bt Julia Gorges (GER) 6-4, 7-5
Vera Zvonareva (RUS x7) bt Sabine Lisicki (GER) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Beatrice Capra (USA) bt Aravane Rezai (FRA x18) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x1) bt Kai-Chen Chang (TPE) 6-0, 6-0
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS x11) bt Anastasija Sevastova (LAT) 6-2, 6-3
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) bt Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (9/7)
Lourdes Dominguez Lino (ESP) bt Urszula Radwanska (POL) 6-2, 7-5
Jelena Jankovic (SRB x4) bt Mirjana Lucic (CRO) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
Kaia Kanepi (EST x31) bt Akgul Amanmuradova (UZB) 6-2, 6-4
Alexandra Dulgheru (ROM x25) bt Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1
Maria Kirilenko (RUS x23) bt Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) 4-6, 7-5, 6-0
Maria Sharapova (RUS x14) bt Iveta Benesova (CZE) 6-1, 6-2
Andrea Petkovic (GER) bt Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
Peng Shaui (CHN) bt Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x9) 2-6, 6-1, 6-4
Men:
2nd round
Albert Montanes (ESP x21) bt Carsten Ball (AUS) 6-4, 6-3, 6-1
Mardy Fish (USA x19) bt Pablo Cuevas (URU) 7-5, 6-0, 6-2
Arnaud Clement (FRA) bt Eduardo Schwank (ARG) 6-3, 5-5, retired, left ankle
Richard Gasquet (FRA) bt Nikolay Davydenko (RUS x6) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Andreas Beck (GER) 6-3, 6-4, 6-3
Kei Nishikori (JPN) bt Marin Cilic (CRO x11) 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-1
Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) bt Guillaume Rufin (FRA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-4, 6-3
Robin Soderling (SWE x5) bt Taylor Dent (USA) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4
Thiemo De Bakker (NED) bt Ivan Dodig (CRO) 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3, 3-2, retired, cramps
Jurgen Melzer (AUT x13) bt Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
James Blake (USA) bt Peter Polansky (CAN) 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-2, 6-4
Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP x22) bt Ricardo Mello (BRA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
Kevin Anderson (RSA) bt Thomaz Bellucci (BRA x26) 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2)
Novak Djokovic (SRB x3) bt Philipp Petzschner (GER) 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (8/6)
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