TENNIS – Maria Sharapova defeated Vika Azarenka 6-4 6-3 on her sixth match point to get through to the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Diego Sampaolo
Maria Sharapova, twice Indian Wells champion hit 23 winners to 27 unforced errors in her straight-set win over Vika Azarenka with 6-4 6-3.
Azarenka led 4-3 in the opening set before Sharapova reeled off three games in a row to clinch the first set. Sharapova rallied from 15-40 down to force the 8th game to deuce and broke back for 5-3.
Sharapova opened up a 5-1 lead in the second set. Azarenka fended off four match points on her serve in the eighth game. After five deuces Azarenka hit a big serve to hold at 3-5 keeping herself in the match. Masha earned her fifth match point at 40-15 but she hit her forehand into the net before converting on her sixth match point with a crosscourt backhand.
“I was aggressive, even though I was missing some shots, missing quite long and wide at times. I just kept going for it. I kept being aggressive and staying in there”, said Sharapova.
Sharapova will face another fascinating match against Indian Wells defending champion Flavia Pennetta from Italy who beat Sam Stosur 6-4 6-2. Pennetta now leads 6-0 in her head-to-head matches against Stosur. The Aussie rallied from 15-40 to break serve in the fourth game. Pennetta broke straight back before saving two break points at 3-4. The Italian player reeled off five consecutive game to build up a 6-4 2-0 lead and three points for 3-0. She recovered from 0-40 with an ace and three first serves to win the fifth game before sealing the second set with 6-2 after 75 minutes.
Sharapova and Pennetta are tied 2-2 in their head-to-head matches but Pennetta won their last two clashes in 2009 and 2011.
The third round matches on Monday pulled off some big surprises as Caroline Wozniacki and Ana Ivanovic were both knocked out of the tournament. Swiss 18-year-old rising star Belinda Bencic, last year’s US Open quarter finalist, upset Caroline Wozniacki with 6-4 6-4 taking a re-match against the Danish player who did not drop a single game winning with a double bagel in Istanbul. Bencic won her first match against a top-five.
Wozniacki dropped her serve in the fifth game of the first set but she saved two break points in the seventh game. The Dane broke back in the eighth game to 15 in the eighth game. Bencic broke in the ninth game. In the second set the Swiss teenager did not face a break point and sealed the second set with 6-4.
Jelena Jankovic fought back from a set down to edge this year’s Australian Open champion Madison Keys with 5-7 6-4 6-3. In the first set Keys went up a break twice but Jankovic broke back both times. Keys broke again in the 11th game before holding serve in the next game to seal the first set with 7-5. Keys went up a set and a break in the second set but Jankovic broke back. The Serb held her serve and managed to get the break in the 10th game. Keys went up a break at the start of the third set before leading 30-0 on Jankovic’s serve but the Serbian player held her serve by saving two break points. Jankovic broke back in the sixth game before getting the break in the eighth game. Jankovic reeled off 10 consecutive points to seal the win with 6-3. She will face Belinda Bencic in the fourth round.
Keys led 3-1 in the decider but Jankovic recovered by winning five consecutive games to clinch the win. Keys hit 39 winners but she committed 64 unforced errors. Jankovic hit 13 winners to 42 unforced errors.
Caroline Garcia battled past Ana Ivanovic with 6-2 5-7 6-2. Sara Errani was upset by Sabine Lisicki with 6-4 6-2. Lesia Tsurenko overcame Alizé Cornet with 7-5 1-6 6-2 to set up a fourth round match against Eugenie Bouchard who beat Coco Vandeweghe 6-3 6-2.
