Sharapova guts out win to key clash with Mauresmo

Sharapova defeated 27th-seeded Tatiana Golovin 7-6 (4), 7-6 (0) in a U.S. Open quarterfinal that lasted more than two hours Wednesday night, setting up a showdown with No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo.

"She's the one to beat right now," Sharapova said. "I feel like I have nothing to lose."

Sharapova's victory came in straight sets, but it was anything but easy. She played superb defense for long stretches, even resorting to a left-handed shot to keep a point going.

She was broken in each of her first two service games, and fought off two set points while trailing 6-5 in the opener. Then she overcame a concentration lapse after a trainer attended to Golovin for a big blister on the bottom of her right foot, and recovered again after getting broken while serving for the match at 5-3 in the second.




Sharapova's father, Yuri, kept a close eye on all the proceedings. He appeared to signal Sharapova at one point by pulling a banana out of his bag; shortly thereafter, she pulled out a piece of fruit and ate it.

"Is it a coincidence? Probably," she said.

The first set alone lasted 1:18, more than Mauresmo's entire 6-2, 6-3 victory over No. 12 Dinara Safina. Sharapova ended any suspense by shutting out Golovin in the second tiebreaker.

"I think I just kind of lost my focus," Golovin said. "She hit a couple of good shots and I was never really able to get back into it."

"It is kind of distracting. You don't need to be screaming that loud," Golovin said. "I don't think the ball actually goes faster if she's grunting."

Is Sharapova aware her noise gets to opponents?

"I don't worry about it," she said.