Maria Sharapova

Indian Wells, Maria Sharapova 2012

S Open champion Sam Stosur made a premature exit at the Indian Wells WTA tournament on Monday while second seed Maria Sharapova advanced in straight sets.

Sixth-seeded Stosur lost a see-sawing third round encounter with Russian Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-7, 7-6 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, before Sharapova finally wrapped up a 6-3, 6-4 win against Romania's Simona Halep on the fifth match point.

Australian Stosur was broken by Petrova when serving for the match at 6-5 in the third set and the Russian capitalised by holding her serve and sealing a hard-fought victory 7-5 in the tiebreak.

Stosur had been swept aside by her big-serving opponent in the opening set and then saved one match point in the second set tiebreak before clawing her way back to level the match.

Petrova, beaten 7-6, 6-7, 7-5 by Stosur at last year's US Open in the tournament's longest women's match of the tie-break era, squealed with delight after the Australian pushed a forehand wide to end an encounter lasting nearly three hours.

Petrova, who raised both arms skywards to celebrate her fifth successive appearance in the fourth round at Indian Wells, was delighted to gain a measure of revenge for her defeat at last year's US Open.

The Russian, once ranked as high as third in the world but has now slipped to 33rd, will next meet compatriot Maria Kirilenko, who beat Spaniard Lourdes Dominguez Lino 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Sharapova, the 2006 champion, led Halep 6-3 and 5-0 before inexplicably losing her way. The Romanian held for 1-5 and the Russian then squandered three match points on serve before being broken in the seventh and ninth games.

After several protracted baseline rallies punctuated by squeals and grunts by both players, Sharapova finally sealed victory on her fifth match point when Halep netted a backhand.

"I started rushing and playing long in the second set," said Sharapova, who will next face Italy's Roberta Vinci, a 6-7, 6-0, 6-4 winner against Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova . "Things weren't going my way and it was really tough but I pulled through."

In other matches, seventh-seed Marion Bartoli of France pummeled South African Chanelle Scheepers 6-2, 6-0 and Czech Lucie Safarova advanced when former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone became another victim of the widespread viral infection at Indian Wells

Maria Sharapova of Russia lunges to hit a return against Simona Halep of Romania during their women's singles match at the Indian Wells WTA tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California March 12, 2012.

Maria Sharapova And Victoria Azarenka

World number one Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova stayed on track
for a mouth-watering showdown in the final of the Indian Wells WTA
tournament while defending champion Caroline Wozniacki was beaten by Ana
Ivanovic yesterday.

Top-seeded Belarusian Azarenka eased into the last eight with a ruthless 6-3 6-1 demolition of Germany's Julia Goerges before Russia's second seed Sharapova swept past Italian Roberta Vinci 6-2 6-1.

Dane Wozniacki, however, was ousted by 2008 winner Ivanovic, who produced sizzling tennis from the baseline to triumph 6-3 6-2 in the fourth round. The Serb will next meet seventh seed Marion Bartoli of France after she breezed past Czech Lucie Safarova 6-1 6-4.

In dazzling afternoon sunshine, Azarenka broke Goerges three times in each set before sealing victory with an ace to end the match in just over an hour on the showpiece stadium court.

The pony-tailed Belarusian won her first grand slam crown at the Australian Open in January and is 20-0 this year. She will next face fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland.

Radwanska, who won her eighth WTA title in Doha last month, advanced when American wild card Jamie Hampton retired with cramp when trailing 6-3 4-6 3-0.

"I take it day by day and after that we will see what happens," Azarenka told reporters of her perfect start to the season. "I have to keep my focus on every moment, every day."

The 22-year-old has launched her 2012 campaign with three WTA titles and said complacency was not in her vocabulary.

"I always try to work on different things because I think there is never really a limit to what you can achieve," Azarenka added. "You can always try to do better. It may not work right away, but at least you can start the process."

PHYSICAL CONDITION

Asked what had been the most improved department of her game this year, she replied: "The thing that really stands out is my physical condition, and I'm pleased with that. But I feel like there is so much more room to improve."

Sharapova had needed five match points to beat Romania's Simona Halep in the previous round but stepped up a few gears against Vinci, breaking her six times before completing victory in just over an hour.

Ivanovic booked her place in the last eight after breaking Wozniacki three times in the opening set and twice in the second, leaping into the air in delight when she clinched victory after one hour 10 minutes.

"I'm very happy," the 24-year-old Serb said after beating the Dane for the first time since the 2008 French Open, which she went on to win.

"I didn't do much wrong today besides the first few games on my serve. I'm really pleased the way I was aggressive."

Radwanska, who reached the quarter-finals for a third time at Indian Wells, applauded Hampton's effort.

"She was playing very good today and I was really in trouble in the second set," the 23-year-old said. "She was really hitting the ball very well and moving very well.

"I just noticed when she fell down. It was obvious that she was cramping and it's always tough when you can't really have a medical timeout for that and you're losing points or games like today.

"When somebody is losing two or three games, it's really a lot. It's tough to come back."

In other matches, eighth seed Li Na of China) crushed Czech Klara Zakopalova 6-1 6-0, Maria Kirilenko beat fellow Russian Nadia Petrova 6-1 5-7 6-2 and Germany's Angelique Kerber edged past American Christina McHale 6-3 3-6 7-6.
Some Funny Hot Tennis Pics Of Maria Sharapova :

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Maria Sharapova Hot

Maria Sharapova to strut her stuff on “Dancing With the Stars.”

She says she wouldn’t be interested in following in the dancing shoes of fellow tennis superstar Martina Navratilova, who is among the newest celebrities set to dance when the show begins March 19.

Maria Sharapova Hot

“Even though I like to dance and all, there’s something about dancing in prom costumes in front of national television that is just not very appealing to me,” Sharapova said Tuesday after her match at the BNP Paribas Open tournament in Indian Wells.

The former Wimbledon champion says she’s never really watched the ABC reality hit, and isn’t sure what it takes to win that kind of competition.

“Like is it a lot of practice or is it personality?” she said.

If she was asked to be on the show, Sharapova said she would say no.

“I hope I’d have the same answer if I was asked in 10 years,” she added.

Sharapova, who rakes in millions off the court in endorsements, recently appeared on the late-night show “Chelsea Lately,” and attended the Vanity Fair Oscar night party.

The 24-year-old Russian says she enjoys writing and would like to write a book about her life.

“There is just a lot of things that maybe my fans and people that have not exactly known about the way I grew up and the way I came to be a player,” she said. “My journal entries that I wrote when I was a young kid, I still have those and I really want them to be one day a part of that. It’s something that when I have time I will sit down and just really write.”