Top seed Maria Sharapova was ousted by unfancied Dinara Safina 1-6 6-4 7-5 in a 1/4 final battle of Russian teenagers on Friday in Moscow. Safina, urged on by her brother, Australian Open champion Marat Safin, lost the opening set before staging a spirited comeback to beat the world number one.
A nervous-looking Sharapova escaped defeat against Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the second round on Wednesday when the unseeded German retired because of an ankle injury while leading 6-1 4-2.
The Florida-based 18-year-old, playing the Moscow event for the first time, controlled her nerves in the first set against Safina, breaking her three times to seal it in 31 minutes.
Sharapova, wearing a white-and-green top with a black skirt, came out firing, breaking Safina three times to seal the first set in 31 minutes.
The second set was more evenly balanced until 19-year-old Safina earned a decisive break in the 10th game to level the match.
A 12,000-strong crowd at the Olympic sports complex began pulling for Safina midway through the second set.
Safina raced into a 5-1 lead in the decider before it was time for Sharapova to show her fighting instincts.
Sharapova won the next four games, saving one match point in the process, but Safina eventually secured victory on her third match point.
October 15th, 2005
Posted by: Marco
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