Maria Sharapova had to dig deep as Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova pushed her all the way in a big-hitting, see-sawing first set that eventually went the way of the Russian top seed thanks to a tie-break.
Maria Sharapova had to dig deep as Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova pushed her all the way in a big-hitting, see-sawing first set that eventually went the way of the Russian top seed thanks to a tie-break.
When bad light intervened at 2002gmt, Sharapova had taken a break in the second set as well, and it looked like a crisis had been averted for the favourite.
A classy backhand by Sharapova in the first game suggested that Pironkova might be facing the Russian in dominant form, but the Bulgarian managed to hold. Then things started to diverge from the script that Sharapova might have had in mind when she purred her way through her first match of the tournament against the overmatched Anastasia Rodionova.
As she begun her first service game, Sharapova had her serve working well enough but soon found the ball coming back at her with interest.
Two unforced errors put Sharapova under pressure, and it was clear early on that she was struggling to live with the powerful groundstrokes of Pironkova. The Bulgarian, hitting the ball hard, early and very flat, moved her opponent all around the court.
Eventually, Sharapova was reduced to trying a last-gasp lob that went long and Pironkova broke for 2-0.
Throughout the first set, Pironkova's only weak moments came when she attempted slices and drop-shots. When she stood toe-to-toe with Sharapova, she came out on top in rallies of blistering groundstrokes: no small feat against this opponent.
Neither player looked especially likely to break serve for several games, but gradually Sharapova's sheer power and athleticism got her back on terms in the rallies. Pironkova's hitherto reliable first serve started to play up, and when the Bulgarian hit a backhand into the net, the score was 30-40. Strong hitting from Sharapova moved her opponent out wide, and then a punishing volley finished her off. The break back came to make it 5-5 and two service holds took us to a tie break.
Pironkova ran Sharapova ragged on the first tie-break point but then inexplicably put a volley long with the court at her mercy, giving Sharapova a mini-break. The Russian held her two service points with some ease and then a wonderful running forehand, the shot of the match, gave her a passing winner and a 4-1 lead. Sharapova closed out the breaker without much trouble, wining it 6-4.
Despite wining the first set, it was Sharapova who was most concerned about the fading light, repeatedly asking the umpire about it during the interval and as the second set began. She soon had an early break in the second and, when the players did eventually go off, the tournament favourite must have been reflecting that the evening could have gone considerably worse. If Pironkova can rediscover the hard charging groundstrokes of the first half of the first set, we could yet have an upset, but the sense is that the number one seed has now got the measure of her opponent in this match.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}