August 19, 2011
Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova wasted little time asserting herself in the Western & Southern Open, ousting qualifier Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-3 in a 71-minute second-round match.
Sharapova said earlier this week that the W&S was "a great test" providing much-needed participation as she tuned up for the U.S. Open. She made an early exit from last week's Rogers Cup had only played four matches in her last two tournaments combined.
So dispatching the overmatched Rodionova, ranked 113th by the Women's Tennis Association, was a good start after her first-round bye.
"I thought I played aggressively, yeah, and felt better than I did last week, definitely," said World No. 7 Sharapova, who's seeded fourth here.
She advances to play the winner of today's 11 a.m. match between Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova and Czech Petra Cetkovska on Court Four at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.
On a temperate Tuesday night before a large Center Court crowd, the 2010 W&S finalist jumped to a 4-0 lead and never trailed. Her well-placed returns and fiery serves kept Rodionova off balance, and unforced errors eventually aggravated the Australian.
After hitting two straight balls out of bounds and falling behind 30-40, Rodionova sliced at the ground with her racquet. Sharapova soon broke her for a 2-0 advantage in the second set.
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