Maria Sharapova Escapes 2nd Round and Heat
MELBOURNE, Australia - As her match dragged on well past three hours, Maria Sharapova stomped and grunted and stole glances at her box. Her face twisted into grimaces. She seemed happiest on changeovers, underneath the shade of an umbrella, an ice vest draped over the back of her neck.
So much appeared stacked against her: a temperature that climbed to 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit), forcing Australian Open officials to invoke their extreme-heat policy and shut down play on the outside courts; a serve that turned shaky with a series of double faults; and an opponent, Karin Knapp of Italy, who played a fearless brand of tennis, as if buoyed by the heat.
Sharapova, the No. 3 seed, botched three match points as momentum swung in Knapp's direction. Inside Rod Laver Arena, the air felt thick and heavy, even with the roof partially closed to provide shade. Programs became makeshift fans. Empty water bottles filled trash cans. To say it was hot was to say there was tennis - two obvious, central assertions.
Knapp, unseeded here and ranked No. 44, slung winners from the baseline, hitting harder, her shots more daring, the later the match went. Sharapova fought. She fought through three doubles faults served at the worst time. She fought through heat that turned Melbourne Park into tennis's Mojave Desert.
She fought until late in the third set, when Knapp sent a backhand long and their contest ended, finally, mercifully, the end tally 6-3, 4-6, 10-8. Sharapova advanced to the third round.
The match lasted 3 hours 28 minutes. But while the third set continued without an end in sight, the Open announced the implementation of its extreme-heat policy. It was the third day of a heat wave here that had caused attendance to drop, caused one player to faint on court and another player to vomit, and left one participant, Ivan Dodig of Croatia, to say Wednesday, 'I was thinking I could die here,' after cramps forced him to retire from a singles match.
When the policy went into effect, it meant that no matches would be played on the outside courts until at least 4 p.m. local time. The roofs at Rod Laver and Hisense Arenas were closed at the end of the sets in progress, which was no help to Sharapova and Knapp. Players were to be given at least 30 minutes' notice before any resumption in play.
Both players felt the heat, of course, but Sharapova's face was the picture of agony. The chair umpire warned her for taking too long on her serve, and Sharapova shot an icy glare in the umpire's direction. Both players tried to step into the shade behind the baselines between points.
Whenever Sharapova seemed to take control, Knapp countered. She stepped into her groundstrokes, took the ball early and sent flat backhands into corners to force Sharapova to give chase.
Sharapova eventually recovered, ripping a forehand winner down the line to break Knapp at 9-8. The crowd stood and cheered and reached for the closest beverage.
When the match ended, Sharapova pumped both fists and walked toward the net. She did not look happy so much as relieved. Next up: air conditioning and sleep.
NOTES
Maria Sharapova will next face 25th-seeded Alize Cornet, who sobbed on court after her draining 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Camila Giorgi. ... In the men's draw, 10th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeated the unseeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-4.
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