Maria Sharapova was pushed to her limits during a two-and-a-half hour thriller at the Shenzhen Open before overcoming America’s Alison Riske 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.
The five-time grand slam champion looked to be on course for a straight sets loss after trailing by a set and a break to Riske. During the marathon encounter, Sharapova managed to turn her fortunes around midway through the second set. A Riske double fault enabled the Russian to break back and level 2-2. A few games later, Sharapova got the breakthrough she sought after a forehand from her rival drifted long to reward her another break for a 5-3 lead on route to serving the set out.
Despite drawing level, Sharapova continued to struggle on the court against her aggressive rival. Who continued to apply pressure onto her serve. Exchanging breaks at the start of the decider, Sharapova’s powerful shot-making propelled her to the finish line. Two further breaks in her Favour moved the Russian to a game away from victory. She then managed to close the match out in style with a love service game.
“I’m just glad that I came back.” Said Sharapova. “She (McHale) played a really great match and as I said to her at the net that it was a great quality match.”
Despite her roller coaster performance, featuring 34 winners and 34 unforced errors, Sharapova exits the match with a mainly positive mindset. Praising her opponent, she described the encounter as good preparation for her ahead of the Australian Open. A tournament Sharapova hasn’t won since 2008.
“I’m glad I got this kind of match. I think that although I would have wanted to get a quick and easy victory, I think sometimes these are the matches that you need. Especially with such a short preparation going into the Australian Open in terms of match play.” She explained.
Sharapova will next take on Zarina Diyas from Kazakhstan. Diyas stunned Chinese third seed Zhang Shuai 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, in her second round match.
Ostapenko falls
French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko has suffered a disappointing start to the new year after crashing out in her first round match. The Latvian second seed struggled with her serve throughout her 6-1, 6-4, loss to Kristýna Pliskova. The loss comes less than a week after Ostapenko defeated Serena Williams in an exhibition match at the World Tennis Championships in the United Arab Emirates.
World No.61 Pliskova, who hit 11 aces during the match, admitted that nerves started to hinder her after claiming the opening set in less than 40 minutes.
“I felt a bit nervous in the second set, but my serve was really working today, which was a big help,” Pliskova said after the match.
“My serve was great today, especially in the first set. I feel like it’s really fast here, so that can be tricky for both of us, and the first of us playing fast won the point.”
Tuesday’s win has rewarded Pliskova her first triumph over a top 10 player since Belinda Bencic retired during their match at the 2016 Miami Open. The Czech will play Romania’s Ana Bogdan in the second round.
