By Richard Pagliaro | Monday, June 1, 2015
Lucie Safarova snapped Maria Sharapova's run of three consecutive French Open finals with a 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory to reach her first quarterfinal in Paris.
Photo credit: FFT
Serving to stay in the match, Maria Sharapova could see Lucie Safarova shuffle a couple of steps to her right, crouching, coiled and ready to strike.
A skittish Sharapova double faulted into net and dropped her head facing match point.
More: What to Watch On Day Nine of the French Open
Safarova's advancing footsteps were in Sharapova's head and her twisting topspin forehand was often beyond the Russian's reach.
The 13th-seeded Czech beat Sharapova to the ball, blasted her off the baseline at critical stages and bounced the reigning Roland Garros champion right out of the tournament with a near-flawless 7-6 (3), 6-4 victory.
"I felt like I had small openings, and I just wasn't able to keep that level up today," Sharapova said in her post-match press conference. "She was able to do that for a longer period of time. She was the much more aggressive player. She took took the time away from me, created her angles and I didn't. That was the difference today, in my opinion."
It was Safarova's first win over Sharapova in five years, ending the Russian's run of three consecutive French Open finals.
The victory vaulted Safarova into her first career Roland Garros quarterfinal in her 11th appearance in Paris. She will play Garbine Muguruza for a semifinal spot in the first meeting between the pair.
The 21st-seeded Spaniard doubled Flavia Pennetta's winner total (30 to 15) sweeping the 33-year-old Italian, 6-3, 6-4, to cruise into her second consecutive French Open quarterfinal.
It was a milestone moment for Safarova, who beat the champion at her own power-based baseline game and will reach rare air as a result. Safarova is projected to rise to No. 10, while Sharapova will likely fall to No. 4 when the new WTA rankings are released next Monday.
Throughout the tournament, a chronic cough plagued Sharapova, who never shed her long-sleeved white sweater. Pained by the left-hander's jamming serve into her hip and twisting topspin forehand she struggled to read, Sharapova battled vigorously, but couldn't produce an antidote for an aggressive Safarova.
Curling her forehand crosscourt to corner Sharapova on the backhand side, Safarova displaced the defending champion to create space, sometimes drilling her forehand down the line to finish.
The woman who opened the year winning the Australian Open doubles title hit 20 of her 34 winners off that electric forehand, matching Sharapova's 20 total winners off one wing.
Her trip through the tournament prepared the Czech for the tie break today. Safarova had won all three of her prior tie break tests in the fortnight, beating former quarterfinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6, 7-6, in round one and denying 2013 Wimbledon finalist Sabine Lisicki, 6-3, 7-6, in the third round.
Sharapova served 75 percent in the opening set, but blinked in the breaker dumping her first double fault to fall behind 1-4. A netted return followed by a poor drop shot from her opponent gave Safarova five set points. When Sharapova scattered a forehand wide, Safarova had the 62-minute opener.
The set empowered Safarova, who had only won the opener once in five prior meetings with the Russian back in 2010 when she beat Sharapova for the only time.
Swinging freely, Safarova often forced Sharapova to defend off her back foot. An unsettled Sharapova sent her second double fault careening off the tape, dropping serve to fall into an 0-2 hole in the second set. Safarova, who won 14 of 18 first-serve points in the second set, imposed her winnining pattern sliding the slice serve wide to open the court then crunching a forehand winner to back up the break.
Digging in, Sharapova broke back in the fifth game and made a defensive stand in the sixth game. Resorting to a desperate running lefty forehand to prolong the point, Sharapova looked dead to rights on defense. But Safarova narrowly missed a forehand sitter down the line, the second seed held on for 3-all. Credit the reigning champion for her grit and fight, but make no mistake Safarova straight up beat the reigning champion at her own power-baseline game and did it with flair off her forehand.
That shrewd return move drew the double fault and match point. Stretched wide, Sharapova threw up a lob and Safarova smacked a high forehand into net. She shrugged of that miss, coming right back with another crunching forehand for a second match point. Belting one last forehand, Safarova closed a quality victory.