Sharapova advances to third round of US Open 2017

The "Russian Doll" continued to prove her strength, after sending Timea Babos off with a score of 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1 in the second round.

Maria Sharapova was not at her best against the underdog from Hungary, as evidenced by her defeat in the first set. But the comeback came just in time for the former world number one to maintain her image as a player no one wants to mess with at the moment, despite being ranked 146th in the WTA rankings and having entered the tournament thanks to a wildcard ticket from the US Open organizers.

Sharapova is off to a good start.

After overcoming second seed Simona Halep in a match that lasted nearly three hours, Sharapova went on to battle Babos for two hours and 19 minutes. A total of 23 break points were created, with Sharapova dominating with 13 of them, converting eight of them. Babos, meanwhile, only broke her opponent's serve four times. Two of those came in the first set, forcing Sharapova into a tie-break and surprisingly winning 7-4.

The 24-year-old even led 4-2 in the next set. But at the most difficult moment, Sharapova showed the mettle of a player with five Grand Slam titles (including all four titles). Once she found her most dangerous weapons, Sharapova always knew how to quickly defeat her opponent.

“It’s not easy to control my emotions after beating Halep,” Sharapova said after reaching the third round. “But as happy as I am, I have to focus on the match today. Today I only care about the result. It was a bad match, but the important thing is that I overcame my opponent.”

The 2006 US Open champion remained reserved when talking about the possibility of winning the final Grand Slam this year: “I just focus on the match ahead. That’s a bland answer. But every day I have the opportunity to play at the US Open and I feel every day is special.”

The next opponent of the 18-year-old “Russian Doll” is Sofia Kenin. The home player defeated the obstacle named Sachia Vickery 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (0) in the second round.

According to VNE