By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Maria Sharapova hit her 12th ace on match point, sealing a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Caroline Garcia to advance to the Madrid Open quarterfinals.
Photo credit: Mutua Madrid Open
Pushed to the limit in an explosive two-and-a-half hour test, Maria Sharapova delivered the definitive answer lashing a second serve off the edge of the line to land in the Madrid quarterfinals.
The reigning Madrid champion cracked her 12th ace to complete a dramatic 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory over Caroline Garcia and advance to the last eight for the fourth straight year.
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The third-seeded Russian will face either No. 5 seed Caroline Wozniacki or No. 9 seed Agnieszka Radwanska for a spot in the final four. Sharapova is 5-4 lifetime vs. Wozniacki, who has won their last two meetings, including three-set triumphs at the 2014 U.S. Open and WTA Finals. Sharapova has won 12 of 14 meeting with Radwanska, including all four of their clay-court clashes.
The Roland Garros champion had lost three straight matches—as well as her world No. 2 ranking—entering Madrid and was eager to take charge from the outset today.
Pounding her clenched fist against her thigh in her return stance, Sharapova spent much of the opening set pouncing on the 21-year-old Frenchwoman's second serve. Sharapova won 11 of 16 points played on Garcia's serve and converted three of five break points cruising through the opening set.
The gifted Garcia has the tools to play all-court tennis, but sometimes betrays her own cause with kamikaze court positioning and over-ambitious shot selection. Like another aggressive baseliner, Genie Bouchard, Garcia is so intent on taking the first strike she often stepped three feet inside the baseline to try to take Sharapova's second serve on the rise only to mis-fire rushed returns.
Yet when the Russian's second-serve percentage plummetted to 44 percent in the second set, Garcia made her pay.
Garcia crunched a forehand winner down the line to break for a 4-2 second-set lead. Sharapova immediately answered, breaking back at love for 3-4.
Navigating a demanding ninth game, Garcia whipped a timely ace to help her hold for 5-4.
Timing a forehand return beautifully, Garcia ripped that shot crosscourt for set point. The world No. 28 zapped an inside-out forehand winner to snatch the second set with a clenched fist toward her father and coach, Louis.
It was the first time Garcia took a set off Sharapova since she won the opening set, 6-3, in their first meeting at the 2011 French Open. Sharapova rallied to win that match, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 and kept cool amid the tightening pressure of the third set today.
Both women guarded serve vigilantly throughout much of the decisive set. Garcia threw down a love hold for 4-3. Sharapova slid a serve winner and hammered a forehand holding at 30 for 4-4.
A biting serve down the middle sealed Sharapova's hold for 5-all after exactly two hours, 22 minutes of play.
The reigning Roland Garros champion is at her best straddling the baseline and playing grip-and-rip tennis, but showed her finesse surprising Garcia with a drop shot for 30-all in the 11th game.
Chasing the ball, Garcia slid and stumbled, falling flat on her back and spreading out her arms like a kid preparing to make a snow angel. She sprayed a backhand wide on the next point to drop to double break point. Garcia saved the first with an ace, but Sharapova slammed a deep return that too a funky bounce and Garcia netted a backhand as Sharapova scored the only break of the set for 6-5.
Sharapova sealed a hard-fought victory in style, sliding that second serve ace off the edge of the line to end it in two hours, 34 minutes.