Former French Open champion Maria Sharapova on Thursday said she has a “good inner feeling” as she prepares for her Roland Garros return after a doping ban.
Sharapova’s straight-sets win over Australian Daria Gavrilova booked her a quarter-final berth at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia which should give the two-time Roland Garros winner a seeding for the French Open.
“It’s a step in the right direction. It’s obviously a goal to be seeded at events,” the 31-year-old said. “I don’t think that takes away matches. You still have to be ready for tough first rounds, and later rounds and whatever comes your way.”
Photo: Reuters
It was a first Masters quarter-final for Sharapova since she won in Rome in 2015.
She was denied a wild-card entry to Roland Garros last year after making her comeback from a 15-month doping ban.
Sharapova’s serve was broken four times by Gavrilova, who had battled until after 2am the previous night, saving two match points against former French Open winner Garbine Muguruza, but Sharapova broke the Australian’s serve seven times, winning through on her third match point after 1 hour, 38 minutes.
She was next due to play reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko for the first time for a place in the final four of a tournament she has won three times.
The Latvian fifth seed dropped a set before getting past British No. 1 Johanna Konta 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“I like the way I’m competing and the way I feel out there. It’s an inner feeling. I like the attitude that I’m playing with,” five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova said.
The Russian said she was “going be so excited” to be heading back to Paris after “a tough period” in her life.
“I’ve had an incredible amount of memories there... I think that first Roland Garros for me was one of the highlights of my career,” the 2012 and 2014 winner said. “Coming to Roland Garros having a few matches behind my back, that’s helpful. Being in that environment, just even the practice and getting there on the first day, practicing on center court for the first time ... I love it. There’s nothing that can replicate it. As long as I can continue to feel motivated by that moment, I’ll keep loving it and playing there.”
In the second round of the doubles, Konta and partner Zhang Shuai of China pulled out to hand Gavrilova and Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei a walkover to a quarter-final against eighth seeds Ashleigh Barty of Australia and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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