In one of the highest profiled third-round match at the 2019 #AustralianOpen, two former world number ones and Major champions came head to head under the roof at Rod Laver Arena. 30th seed #MariaSharapova came into the encounter as the huge underdog, but played some of her best tennis to upset third seed and defending champion #CarolineWozniacki in three thrilling sets which lasted two hours and 24-minutes of play.
Sharapova was absolutely stunning on serve, winning 74 percent of her first serves and claiming 59 percent of points behind her second deliveries. Wozniacki was unable to prevent her vulnerable second serves from being attacked relentlessly by the aggressive Russian, who certainly raised her level at the pivotal moments today.
She fired a staggering amount of 37 winners to 46 unforced errors, while Wozniacki hit just 10 winners although she committed only 21 unforced errors. Five breaks of serve saw the Russian living up to her credentials of being one of the best returners in the game, winning 40 percent of her return points throughout the match.
Sharapova snatches the tight opening set
It was a great start from the Russian as she looked to put up some encouraging signs, earning multiple break points in the opening game although Wozniacki produced some stunning first serves to prevent herself from trailing behind early on. The Dane’s serve experienced a drastic improvement as compared to the past, particularly after her struggles earlier in her career, and now her first serve can be used as a weapon especially during situations when she is under pressure.
After the tough hold for Wozniacki, Sharapova sent down a statement service hold of her own — firing winners at her own will and storming to a emphatic love hold. However, Sharapova’s usual struggles against Wozinacki surfaced once again; getting the upper hand in the majority of the rallies but unable to close out the points as the Dane is often able to retrieve the balls back.
Successive errors saw Sharapova put in a loose service game, ultimately finding herself trailing by a huge 1-4 deficit within just moments. However, just as Sharapova mentioned during her post-match press conference, she did not keep the scoreline in her head. She played freely and steered towards another love hold to minimize the deficit.
All the momentum was with Sharapova, who was dictating play and being able to overlast Wozniacki in the lengthy rallies, much to everyone’s surprise. Furthermore, the Dane was thought to be slower than her usual speed, being overpowered by Sharapova’s sheer power as well. She then threw in an unfortunate double-fault to erase her lead in the seventh game.
Sharapova was simply unstoppable — rattling five consecutive games from 1-4 down to take the opening set 6-4 after 50 minutes of action. She conceded just two points on her second serve while firing 16 winners to just 14 unforced errors. Although Wozniacki did not play poorly, she was unable to challenge Sharapova’s authority in the rallies and lost her way from 4-1 up.
Wozniacki fights back from nowhere
The roof was set to be closed after several ripples of rain fell onto the court. With the roof closed, the conditions are completely different and it edged towards the five-time Major champion. However, Wozniacki was the first to create a breakthrough as she took full advantage of the drop in intensity of Sharapova’s game. She did an excellent job by surviving a tricky opening service game before the Russian threw in three double-faults, consecutively, to lose her serve for the second time today.
It seemed as though it was a different Sharapova playing under the roof as she fell victim to Wozniacki’s tricky topspin shots which often forced errors from her. The Dane was gaining confidence as she surged towards a commanding 3-0 lead within a blink of an eye, and all the momentum was with the defending champion.
Facing a tough challenge from Sharapova, Wozniacki knew that her job was never going to be easy. Her 4-1 lead in the first set provided glimpses of the Russian’s one-sided loss to Angelique Kerber at the same stage last year, but this time the former world number one was determined to avoid the same fate as she broke straight back, levelling the scores at 3-3 with some terrific tennis and incredible rhythm.
Wozniacki did extremely well to handle her nerves, holding serve in an all-or-nothing seventh game which saw the second set go on serve. She earned a break point in the following game with an outstanding backhand down-the-line winner, her first and only of the set. However, Sharapova produced some huge serves before coming up with a wonderfully-angled backhand winner to remain in contention.
However, just when she had to serve to stay in the set, the nerves pounded on her. All credit went to Wozniacki, who remained calm and solid during the pressurizing moments while Sharapova made some costly errors which saw the defending champion take the second set 6-4 and level the match at one set all. This set saw Sharapova’s unforced error numbers increase drastically while despite hitting just one winner, Wozniacki played some solid tennis to take the set.
Sharapova survives the thriller
All the momentum was with Wozniacki, who started the deciding set serving. She tripled her number of winners in the opening game, firing three big forehand winners as Sharapova looked slow off the ground and sluggish in her shots. Nonetheless, despite signs that a break was coming, the 30th seed hung on and got onto the scoreboard amidst her struggles.
A series of service holds followed, but it was Sharapova who first found herself in some deep trouble in the sixth game. Facing a nervy situation at 30-30 while the score was not in her favour, Sharapova had just thrown in a double-fault but rebounded to seal the huge match-changing game.
Gaining the confidence and rhythm she desperately needed, Sharapova came up with some unbelievable returns to make the long-awaited breakthrough in the decider — letting out a huge “Come on!” after grabbing the huge game. There were no signs of nerves and fatigue on Sharapova’s face, and instead it was a refreshed-looking face, determined to close out the win.
She confidently consolidated the break to love, forcing Wozniacki to serve and stay in the match.
A double-fault gave Sharapova her first match point, but Wozniacki came up with the goods as she prevailed in a marathon rally to remain in contention. However, Sharapova was second-time lucky as a huge return helped her to set up a powerful backhand, sealing one of the biggest upsets in the first Major of the year.
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