Sharapova recovers from Davenport hangover
Maria Sharapova needed some time to get going, no doubt a hangover from the marquee match with Lindsay Davenport two days ago, but when the 5th seeded Russian finally warmed up, Sharapova predictably wiped the floor with compatriot Elena Vesnina, winning 6-3, 6-0 in the third round of the Australian Open.
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Sharapova traded breaks in the early stages with Vesnina, losing her serve twice. Once the two-time slam champion absorbed the gambling instincts of the world number 55, Sharapova cruised home, content to let her opponent make wild errors as opposed to forcing the tempo.
“She came out having not really much to lose and hitting the balls big and having a lot of pace on her balls,” Sharapova said
“When it got close I felt like I had a huge advantage.”
Sharapova is yet to lose a set at Melbourne Park. While her performance today wasn’t quite at the level as the Davenport thrashing, the signs are excellent going into the second week.
“I’ve been returning well throughout the last couple of matches. That’s pretty important, especially against big servers.”
Another Russian will challenge Sharapova, with Elena Dementieva waiting in the round of 16.
“It’s very physical because she gets a lot of balls back. She makes you work for every point,” Sharapova said.
The topic of equal prize money made its way into the Sharapova press conference, with the former world number one using humour to defend the recent equality between the sexes.
“Of course it’s fair. We were waiting for the men to finish five sets. God, we should get paid more for waiting around all day long.”
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