August 31, 2010
Maria battled through to the 2nd round of the US Open in New York after she defeated Jarmila Groth of Australia 4-6 6-3 6-1 in 1 hour and 57 minutes.
Maria got off to a slow start as she went 5-2 in the first set but she started to come back by taking the next 2 games to get the set back on serve but it wasn't enough as she was broken by Groth in the next game as Groth his a forehand winner to take the set 6-4 in 39 minutes.
The second set started to swing Maria's way as she broke in the first game on a Groth double-fault and kept the momentum as she kept her nose in front the entire set. In the last game Groth double-faulted to force the match into a third set.
In the final set, Maria was always into control and broke first to lead 3-1 when Groth double-faulted and again to lead 5-1. Maria easily held her serve in the next game to take the match when Groth hit a forehand wide.
In the 2nd round to be played on Thursday, Maria will play Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic. Maria leads the series 2-0, here are the 2 matches they have played:
Roland Garros 2006 2R Maria wins 6-4 6-1
Tokyo 2009 QF Maria wins 6-4 7-5
Resources : http://www.mariasharapova.com/
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