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Australian Open: Sharapova sets up mouth-watering Wozniacki clash

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Sudipto Ganguly, Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/01/16/20190116-sharapova.jpg"/><figcaption>Former Australian Open winner Maria Sharapova continued her marauding form by handing out a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing to Sweden&#x27;s Rebecca Peterson on Wednesday. Kim Kyung-Hoon, Reuters</figcaption></figure></div>MELBOURNE—Former Australian Open winner Maria Sharapova continued her marauding form by handing out a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing to Sweden&#x27;s Rebecca Peterson on Wednesday to set up a blockbuster third-round showdown with holder Caroline Wozniacki.In a clash of former world number one players, the five-times Grand Slam winner will next meet Dane Wozniacki, who eased past Johanna Larsson 6-1, 6-3 earlier in the day.&quot;It&#x27;s always a physical match,&quot; Sharapova told reporters of her third-seeded opponent looming in the next round, with Wozniakci having won her first Grand Slam here last year.&quot;She gets a lot of balls back. A great retriever of the game. Just incredibly solid. Does a lot of things well. You kind of have to, to be number one in the world, to be a Grand Slam champion. I expect her to do all those things on Friday.&quot;I think the Grand Slam was the one trophy she was looking for. With determination she got there last year. She loves playing here, loves everything about this tournament. I certainly have a tough match ahead of me.&quot;The Russian 30th seed, who was suspended for 15 months for taking banned drug meldonium in 2016, broke 23-year-old Peterson twice in the opening set and peppered the court with powerful groundstrokes in a superb display of hitting.Sharapova, who also thrashed Britain&#x27;s Harriet Dart 6-0 6-0 in her opening round match, won seven consecutive games against the Swede to take a 4-0 lead in the second set before world number 64 Peterson could get on the board in the set.<div> LATE FINISH</div>With the previous match between local hope Alex de Minaur and qualifier Henri Laaksonen lasting five sets at the Margaret Court Arena, Sharapova&#x27;s match ended long after midnight and the Russian was in a hurry to finish as it was way past her bedtime.Asked what her bedtime was, Sharapova said: &quot;10:30. Like in bed at 10:00, sleep by 10:30. My boyfriend challenges it quite a lot, but 10:30 is my time.&quot;It was definitely a different type of match. Took a lot of warming up for this one. Bit of uncertainty going into a match quite late. But, yeah, despite all those changes, I thought I played well.&quot;The 31-year-old Sharapova, who last won a Grand Slam at the 2014 French Open, only struggled against the Swede briefly in the second set during a lengthy hold of serve to go up 5-1.But such was her dominance that the Russian, who won in Melbourne in 2008, did not face a break point in the match and sealed the contest in 71 minutes with a third break in the second set.&quot;I think there&#x27;s certainly things I want to improve. I&#x27;ve been happy with the way I focused throughout the match, kept my concentration,&quot; she added.&quot;It&#x27;s not easy to start one match at 11 am, then 48 hours later, a little bit more, to start one that&#x27;s just before midnight. Just all those things, they&#x27;re about adjustments. I have that experience.&quot;So I&#x27;m happy that I&#x27;m able to come out into a match like this and say, &#x27;I&#x27;ve done this before, I know the drill, I know how this goes, I&#x27;m ready, and I need to step it up. No matter what my opponent brings today, I have to get it done&#x27;.&quot; (Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Christian Radnedge and Ken Ferris)<div>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports website.</a></div>

Former Australian Open winner Maria Sharapova continued her marauding form by handing out a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing to Sweden's Rebecca Peterson on Wednesday.

Former Australian Open winner Maria Sharapova continued her marauding form by handing out a 6-2, 6-1 thrashing to Sweden's Rebecca Peterson on Wednesday.

Australian Open: Sharapova sets up mouth-watering Wozniacki clash

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Australian Open: Sharapova sets up mouth-watering Wozniacki clash

Sudipto Ganguly,

Reuters

Published Jan 17, 2019 04:16 AM PHT

Read More:

2019 Australian Open

Maria Sharapova

Caroline Wozniacki

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