Thursday turned Friday as 5-time Grand Slam Champion Maria Sharapova edged out Sorana Cirstea in a 6-2, 7-5 thriller under the flashing lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium. The former World No. 1 will face Jelena Ostapenko at the third round of the ongoing US Open.
Sharapova came in following a hard-fought win over Swiss great Patty Schnyder. Having retired from active tennis in 2011 and only coming back in 2015, the 39-year old was the oldest player to set foot in a Grand Slam tournament.
In a match that lasted one hour and fifty minutes, Sharapova and Cirstea treated the crowd to a thriller that consisted of multiple deuces and a comeback that saw the Russian ultimately clinch a spot at the third round of the tournament.
Five aces, 26 winners, and 33 unforced errors were all it took to beat Cirstea, whose 20 winners and 33 unforced errors weren’t enough to hand a victory.
After losing the first set, the Romanian broke serve to commence the second set. She kept her lead until Sharapova started serving. The Russian engineered a comeback with two points of a final and won the final three games to book a match with French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko.
The last time Sharapova met Ostapenko, fans were treated to a three-setter thriller. The former World No.1 was the winner.
