TENNIS – Maria Sharapova battled past Caroline Garcia with 6-2 4-6 7-5 after two hours and a half hours on the Manolo Santana Court at the Caja Magica in Madrid to get through to the quarter finals. Sharapova broke five times but she dopped her serve three times Diego Sampaolo
Sharapova dominated the baseline exchanges to clinch the first set with 6-2: She faced the only trouble in the fourth game when she dropped her serve after committing two double faults
Garcia bounced back and got the break in the fifth game of the second set but Sharapova broke straight back to love. Garcia broke again in the 10th game to clinch the second set with 6-4
At 5-all in the decider Garcia saved the first break point with her 10th ace but Sharapova converted on her second chance as Garcia hit her backhand into the net. Sharapova served for match in the next game and closed out with 7-5 after a very intense match.
Sharapova will take on Caroline Wozniacki beat Agniezska Radwanska 6-3 6-2. Both players traded breaks in the first four games when neither Wozniacki nor Radwanska managed to hold any of their service games. Wozniacki broke in the sixth game and held her serve in the next game for 5-2. Radwanska managed to hold her serve but Wozniacki closed out in the next game for 6-3. Both players held their serves in the first two games of the second set before Wozniacki got the break in the third game for 2-1. Radwanska broke straight back for 2-2 before Wozniacki reeled off the next four games for 6-2.
On a day of very tight battles which were decided on the third set Serena Williams saved three match points at 5-6 in the third set before edging past Viktoria Azarenka with 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 7-6 (7-1).
The first set went on serve until the tie-break where Azarenka raced out to 6-1 lead. Williams fought back to win the tie-break with 7-5.
Williams broke in the fifth game but she made unforced errors and dropped her next service games.
Williams raced out to 3-0 in the decider with a break. Azarenka managed to draw level to 3-3 after Williams made a series of errors. Williams went down 5-6 after a forehand error. Azarenka wasted three match points with three double faults at 6-5 40-0 allowing Williams to draw level as 6-6. The US legend cruised to a 7-1 scoreline in the tie-break.
Williams has improved her winning streak to 26 consecutive matches.
Williams will take on Carla Suarez Navarro who overcame Ana Ivanovic with 7-5 1-6 6-4.
Petra Kvitova, who won the Madrid Mutua Open title 2011, beat Anastasya Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-4 to reach the quarterfinals. Kvitova committed just eight unforced errors.
Pavlyuchenkova made consecutive double faults in the sixth game to drop her serve. In the second set Kvitova converted on her break point chance in the third game for 2-1. Pavlychenkova broke back to draw level at 4-4 but Kvitova won the final two games. As Kvitova was serving for the match, she saved three break points
Kvitova will face Irina Camelia Begu from Romania who beat Barbora Strykova 6-4 6-4 reaching the quarter finals for the first time in her career in a Premier Mandatory Tournament.
