Maria Sharapova overcame a brief lapse which cost her the second set before storming through for a 6-1, 6-7 (5-7), 6-0 win over Lauren Davis to reach the second week of the Australian Open on Friday.
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The five-time Grand Slam victor hadn’t dropped a set into the third round but struggled a bit before beating 22-year-old Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-0. Despite clinching the opening set easily, the Russian tennis ace saw a spirited fightback from her American opponent to force a decider on Rod Laver Arena.
She continued to pressure the Davis serve and got the break she was after in the third game of the second set. He got close previous year, losing the finals at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open to No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic.
However, Sharapova’s unforced error count began to skyrocket in the second set, and this allowed Davis back into the contest.
“I don’t have a chat in the mirror, I think I get fined for that”, she said.
Williams next plays Margarita Gasparyan, who beat Yulia Putintseva 6-3, 6-4. Asked on Friday how she navigated the world of professional tennis as a young player, Sharapova credited her parents.
“I don’t know if it’s only fitness, but also the focus and the belief that you can really play the best at the most important points and you really can’t do any stupid mistakes in the third set when it’s 4-4”, Bencic said. I’m just kind of living it. I’ve played here in Melbourne for many years.
However, the big news of the day was that 19 years after making his first appearance at Melbourne Park as a 15-year-old, Lleyton Hewitt played his final singles match at the Australian Open.
“It’s very exciting, I must tell you”, said Federer of the milestone.
The 12th-seeded Swiss rallied past Kateryna Bondarenko, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, to reach the round of 16 for the first time in Melbourne.
“Oh boy. Is this like a friendly reminder that I’m getting older?”
Radwanska said she wasn’t expecting such a tough challenge at the start of the match. Sharapova said, when an on-court interviewer congratulated her for the achievement earned by winning her third-round match. Striking with menacing authority, Sharapova took the fight to Lauren Davis delivering a third-set knockout.
Williams won through to the fourth round of the season’s first grand slam after dispatching Russian teenager Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-1 on Friday.
Federer will next play David Goffin, who defeated Dominic Thiem 6-1, 3-6, 7-6, 7-5 to become the first Belgian man to reach the Round of 16 at the Australian Open since 2005.
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On the other side of the world, the Australian Open is the first Grand Slam of the year.
