Maria Sharapova found a way to win ugly on Wednesday as she overcame difficult conditions to battle past Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova 7-5, 6-2 to reach the French Open third round.
Following the shock exit of defending champion Serena Williams and China’s second seed Li Na’s elimination 24 hours earlier, the Russian star, 27, is the leading favorite to take the title.
However, the Russian four-time Grand Slam winner, who won Roland Garros in 2012, said cold, blustery conditions were difficult and a reason for her 27 unforced errors.
Photo: AFP
When asked about the upsets in the women’s draw and an easier route to the final without Williams or Li Na, she replied: “I think you always have to follow your path and always concentrate on your work and who’s ahead of you, and not get worried about what’s going on. Obviously when you go on court you’re aware of a lot of the upsets, not just in the women, but in the men, as well.”
Sharapova, who has won five meetings against Pironkova, trailed 4-2 in the opening set before reeling off three straight games to take the lead for the first time at 5-4.
An 80 percent first-serve winning percentage helped edge the set and appeared to break the spirit of the Bulgarian.
At 2-2 in the second set, Sharapova again went on a roll, reeling off the next four games to wrap up the match in 1 hour, 32 minutes.
She improved her record on clay this year to 14 and 1, after wins in Stuttgart and Madrid left her with 31 titles on the WTA circuit.
The world No. 8 is next to face Romania’s Monica Niculescu or Paula Ormaechea of Argentina for a place in the last 16.
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