On Wednesday, the No.3-seeded Sharapova defeated No.7 seed Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-1 6-3. It erased the memories of a dramatic match against the German rising star last October in Moscow, when Sharapova trailed 61 42 before Groenefeld sprained her left ankle and missed the rest of the season.
"I thought I started off really well, and that was really, really important," said Sharapova. "From the beginning of the match, I didn't underestimate her serve or her big game. SoI think I came out ready, ready for the challenge; it turned out well."
Having lost to Hingis in the Tokyo [Pan Pacific] semifinals, Sharapova evened the ledger at 1-all with a win in the Dubai quarterfinals. The Russian star, who turns 19-years-old next month, is looking forward to taking on the great champion once again.
"In Dubai, I basically took my opportunities, the ones that I had. In Tokyo, even when I felt like I could get back in the match, I didn't take my opportunities, made a few errors. I think I was more focused on the match in Dubai. I really tried not to worry about what my opponent was doing."
Maria whom Hingis singled out as the player she most wanted to play, will have to show equally hot form on Friday if she's going to edge ahead in her lifetime series against Hingis.
March 16th, 2006
Posted by: Marco
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