Sharapova survives scare
28th April 2006
Maria Sharapova beat Tatiana Golovin 6-3 5-7 4-3ret. to advance to the finals at the NASDAQ 100.The first set had Golovin holding her serve. Sharapova then ran off four straight games to go up 4-1. The next two went to Tatiana. Maria won the next to games to take the first set.
The number four seed raced out of the second set winning the first four games. She was then broken to make it 4-1. The former number one got the break back but was broken right back. Tatiana held serve for the first time in the set making it 5-3. Maria was broken again but had four match points. Golovin then made it 5-5. The 2004 Wimbledon Champ held serve but lost the next game to go to a tie breaker. The tie break went back and fourth but at 5-5 used a drop shot to win the point and then won the next point to go into a final set.
“I should have finished it off, but that’s not the way it went,” Sharapova said. “But I have to forget about it and get ready for the final.”
The third set started out on serve at 2-2 but Maria got a break to go up 3-2. Both players held serve to make it 4-3 but then Golovin rolled over on her ankle. She had a medical time out and tried to continue but couldn’t so she retired.
“It’s very unfortunate,” Sharapova said. “She played unbelievable tennis, the best I’ve seen her play. She played basically out of her mind in the second set, and it was so close in the third set.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova won her match over Amelie Mauresmo 6-1 6-4. The two have spilt there four matches with Maria winning there last meeting last year in Australian Open.
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