Sharapova slumps in the second set but takes out Cornet in straights

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Head Radical

Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova vs. Aliza Cornet opened Saturday’s third-round action at the Australian Open and when their first set finished it seemed that the highest-ranked Frenchwoman would be no challenge for the four-time Grand Slam champion Sharapova, as Cornet managed to win just one game in the first set, breaking Sharapova for 1-4. The battle heated up in the second set of this match played in cooler weather conditions and the 25th-seeded Cornet broke her opponent’s serve for a 3-1 lead, but Sharapova broke straight back and earned a match point at 5-3. Cornet returned for 5-5 and 6-6, before Sharapova finally finished the encounter in a tiebreak 6-1 7-6(6). In the second set Sharapova hit six double faults and only 52% of her first serves went in. Not every opponent will tolerate that.

Next for the third-seeded Sharapova is seed No.20 Dominika Cibulkova, who crushed seed No.16 Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-0, recording 10 times more winners than the Spaniard, 20 to 2!  (photo: © Neal Trousdale)

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Marija Zivlak
Marija Zivlak is the founder and editor-in-chief of Women’s Tennis Blog, a trusted source for in-depth coverage of the WTA Tour, tennis fashion, and player insights. Based in Belgrade, Serbia, she has been reporting on women’s tennis for over 18 years and has contributed exclusive fashion articles to the official WTA website. Marija launched Women’s Tennis Blog on March 31, 2007 to provide fans with accurate, engaging, and up-to-date tennis news. Her expertise and deep connections within the sport allow her to offer unique perspectives on tennis trends, gear, and events.

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