Maria Sharapova into Sony Ericsson Championships Semis with 3-0 Record
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Nov 10, 2006 | Print
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Svetlana Kuznetsova’s poor form continued today at the Sony Ericsson Championships when she was completely overpowered by Maria Sharapova in straight sets 6-1, 6-4.
Kuznetsova’s confidence heading into the match was pretty low after her 1-and-1 thrashing at the hands of Kim Clijsters yesterday. She knew that she would be in for a difficult match against Sharapova and took some time to comment on her plans for today in Thursday’s post-match press conference.
“I need to keep positive for tomorrow, but it’s not easy after a match like today’s,” said Kuznetsova. “I can also think I haven’t played today and hope to play better tomorrow, but she’s an excellent — she’s excellently fit. She hasn’t lost a match still. It will all depend on my serve, if I can put pressure on her I will have chances, but I need to give my best.”
Svetlana was correct - today’s match was partially determined because of her poor serving. Maria Sharapova completely demolished Kuznetsova’s shaky serve and punished her with five service breaks in the match.
It was not just her serve that led to her quick loss - Kuznetsova only managed to win nine points in the entire first set.
Maria Sharapova has not dropped a set so far this week at the Championships and she will head into the semifinals with a perfect 3-0 record. She will face Amelie Mauresmo, the second best player in the yellow group, tomorrow in Madrid.
Update: Although the WTA Tour had originally predicted Henin-Hardenne to take the top spot in the yellow group if Mauresmo dropped a set, they have now announced that it is Mauresmo instead that had the highest percentage in the round robin, giving her the top spot in the yellow group. This means that Maria Sharapova will now be playing Justine Henin-Hardenne - with the number one ranking on the line.
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