#MariaSharapova continued her excellent run at the 2019 #AustralianOpen, this time with a stunning 6-2, 6-1 win over #RebeccaPeterson which showcased her hard work during the off-season. The Russian came into the encounter off a double-bagel win against Harriet Dart in her opener, and she was stunningly good today — being flawless on her serve.
The pair was set to play out the anticipated second-round encounter, which was tipped to be a thriller between the former world number one and one of the most improved players on the tour. Peterson failed to trouble Sharapova and failed to win more than half of her first service points, finding just seven winners and committing 27 unforced errors.
Whereas, Sharapova claimed 69 percent of her first serves and outstandingly defended 75 percent of her second deliveries, not facing a break point throughout the entirety of the match. She blasted 18 winners to 20 unforced errors, and as a result, the 30th seed set up a blockbuster third-round meeting with third seed and defending champion Caroline Wozniacki.
Sharapova rolls to grab the first set
It was an encouraging start from both players, who looked to put up a good show for the tennis-loving crowd who stayed late into the midnight for this match. The players took the court at 11.18 pm local time due to the late conclusion of the ATP five-setter between Aussie Alex De Minaur and qualifier Henri Laaksonen, but there were still quite a number of fans who stayed to catch the five-time Major champion, Sharapova, going up against the dangerous Peterson.
Peterson fended off a tough challenge from her big-name opponent, grabbing the confidence-boosting service hold in the opening game after firing several forehand winners in succession. However, she was unable to translate those successes on her returns, with Sharapova steamrolling on her serve to get onto the scoreboard.
A series of unforced errors then saw Peterson, the more inexperienced player on the court, being broken for the first time in the night. Sharapova took advantage of those errors and made the first breakthrough, strolling to consolidate the break for a two-game lead eventually.
It seemed as though it was a period of resurgence from Peterson, who put together a spirited service hold before earning a 0-30 lead on Sharapova’s serve. That turned out to be the closest she will be to breaking serve in the first set. A stunning backhand down-the-line winner completely shifted the momentum to Sharapova, who went on to claim the nervy hold and held on for a 4-2 lead.
Impressively, 12 consecutive points came and went, and all of which went in Sharapova’s favour as Peterson completely lost the plot. The Russian seemed to be firing on all cylinders and grabbed the first set 6-2 within a blink of an eye after just 35 minutes of play.
Sharapova seals the win
Riding on her momentum from the first set, the Sharapova express train did not seem to be halting anytime soon. The Russian looked flawless while Peterson could not catch a breath, being stretched all around the court by the powerful 30th seed. Consecutive winners saw Sharapova holding for 2-0, and was on course for the comfortable victory.
Peterson wasted a golden opportunity to get onto the scoreboard, throwing in a double-fault on her game point which paved the way for Sharapova to soar and extend her lead. In one of the best service games you would ever see, the Russian fired four straight forehand winners for a four-game advantage.
Nonetheless, despite the one-sided scoreline, it was much tougher in the second set for Sharapova. Peterson attempted to produce an inspired fightback although it was to no avail. She struggled with her consistency at the baseline and fell short in a marathon return game which saw her still fail to earn any break point opportunities.
Sharapova was playing some top-notch tennis and looked in a hurry to close out the win, grabbing the quick 6-2, 6-1 win after just 71 minutes of action.
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