WHAT HAPPENED: Maria Sharapova’s record under the bright lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium remains untarnished after her 6-3, 6-2 defeat of Jelena Ostapenko stretched her tally to 22-0 for US Open night matches. Her win over the No. 10 seed also improves her record against Top 10 players this season to 3-4.
The last meeting between these two Grand Slam champions, a very physical three-hour and 11-minute battle, fell in Sharapova’s favor, 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-5, on the clay courts of Rome in May. And when Ostapenko’s opening service game lasted 24 points and took 12 minutes to complete, there was a sense that fans would be in for another lengthy contest. But this match unfolded much differently.
"I just wanted to improve from the second round, I didn’t feel like I played my best tennis."
Known for her firepower from the baseline, Ostapenko’s usual big-hitting game failed her on Saturday night. Her shots weren’t finding the court, her first serve was unreliable, and she struck 40 unforced errors and 10 winners on the match. The majority of those, 27 to be exact, came in the first set. Her frustration mounting and temper flaring, the 2017 Roland Garros titlist quickly fell behind 5-2 before Sharapova broke her at love to clinch the first set with a finesse lob.
The second set began with four consecutive breaks of serve before Sharapova righted the ship at 3-2. In the blink of an eye, the 2006 US Open champion quickly reeled off the next three games to take the match and advance into fourth round after 82 minutes.
Sharapova should certainly feel a bit more comfortable with her game after this round, as she served consistently for most of the match and looked solid from the baseline.
"I just wanted to improve from the second round, I didn’t feel like I played my best tennis," Sharapova said after her win. "She’s a phenomenal player and a Grand Slam champion, you know, I can't come out here and expect it to be easy. I faced a tough opponent and came through, so I’m happy with that."
WHAT IT MEANS: Sharapova was forced to hit the ground running at the US Open, as she came in with limited match play in summer tune-ups. She went 2-2 since bowing out of the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, and an injured shoulder prevented her from playing at Cincinnati. But that hasn't affected her performance much this week, as she has yet to drop a set after three rounds of play.
That feat will now become much harder to achieve as she enters the second week of the year’s final major. Her next opponent is No. 30 Carla Suárez Navarro, a three-set winner over No. 6 Caroline Garcia. Sharapova owns a 4-1 head-to-head over the Spaniard.
MATCH POINT: Sharapova produced a strong service game against the 21-year-old Latvian, firing six aces and winning 78 percent of her first serves. Her return game was equally as formidable, as she created 17 break point chances in the match, converting on six of them.
