MOSCOW, March 23 (R-Sport) – After needing nine match points to beat tough Czech Lucie Safarova at the Miami Open on Sunday, Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova hailed the match as crucial to her recovery from a shoulder injury.
World No. 7 Sharapova’s 6-4, 6-7(7), 6-2 win over Safarova, a player ranked 20 places below her, sets up a fourth-round meeting with Belgian Kirsten Flipkens, who progressed by walkover when her German opponent Sabine Lisicki withdrew with flu.
Sharapova’s win was anything but plain sailing as Safarova saved two match points before taking the second set on a tiebreak, and then saved six more when 5-2 down in the decider.
"It was one of those days when I had all kinds of opportunities, but she just kept hitting all of these unbelievable shots and winners, especially in that last game," Sharapova said on the WTA website, adding that tough matches were key to recovering from the should injury that caused the Russian to miss much of last season.
“At this point in my career, especially after not playing for so long last year, these are the kinds of matches I need,” she said. “These are the kinds of matches I need to build my strength, where I need to feel my shoulder is holding up and I can hit a serve over 1000 miles an hour.”
In Flipkens, Sharapova now faces an opponent who has given her little trouble in the past. All four of their matches to date have ended with straight-sets wins for Sharapova.
The Miami Open, known as the Sony Tennis Open for sponsorship reasons, has a prize fund of $5.4 million.
