Madrid: Maria Sharapova looks to be coming into the form that took her to a Mutua Madrid Open title back in 2014, surging through a 7-5, 6-1 win over Irina-Camelia Begu to reach the round of 16 here Monday.
Battling through a tight opening set, Sharapova rallied from a break down and 3-1 deficit, completing the comeback with a thrilling set point that featured both combatants at their very best. The five-time Grand Slam champion only grew stronger from there, channeling that momentum into a decisive second set to win 20 of the final 22 points to secure a 92 minute victory on Court Manolo Santana.
Sharapova struck 21 winners to 24 unforced errors and converted five of 10 break points. While Begu could often match the Russian’s power, she was less successful off the ground with six winners to 19 unforced errors.
The win over Begu has her tentatively rising back up to World No.46, with a return to the top 40 for the first time since 2016 possible should she reach the quarterfinals.
Standing between the unseeded Russian and a second WTA quarterfinal of 2018 is Kristina Mladenovic, finalist in Madrid last year. The Frenchwoman outlasted Zhang Shaui in three sets and defeated Sharapova in their last meeting at the 2017 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.
“It was a lot of hard work,” Sharapova said in her post-match press conference. “Obviously being down a break to start off both of those sets didn’t make things easy for me. Although I didn’t play at my best level in the first set, I pulled it through. I played some really tough points. I hung in there especially in that final game. Then I really set up a good opportunity for me to step up,” she added.
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