Cutie pie, Maria Sharapova, has just squeaked by in her first three matches of the 2008 French Open.
Maria’s first two matches against unseeded and very low ranked players went three sets. She beat 103rd ranked Evgeniya Rodina in a very close 1st round match, 6-1, 3-6, 8-6. She won her second round match against 106th ranked Bethanie Mattek, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2. She seemed to be having 2nd set lapses in concentration those first two matches.
Her third match was over in two sets. She defeated 38th ranked Karin Knapp 7-6 (7-4), 6-0. This time she seemed to overcome her 2nd set decline, although her first set didn’t go that well. Had she lost that tie breaker, the momentum may well have been on the side of her opponent, and the match could have turned out very differently.
However, as many times before, when she needed to she was able to dig deep enough to win. I guess that’s what makes a champion. That being said, I think she’ll need to play much better if she is going to win this tournament.
Come on Maria. Show us what a world # 1 player is made of!
