Australian Open 2019: Caroline Wozniacki Suffers Defeat at Hands of Sharapova

Maria Sharapova took control against defending champion Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open. Sharapova, 31, grabbed the last four games to eliminate Wozniacki 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 on Friday to reach the fourth round at Melbourne Park. Her aggressive groundstrokes helped her achieve a 37-10 edge in total winners.

“I haven’t played many matches in the last year, especially against top players,” Sharapova said. “And these are the kinds of matches I train for.”

She cut her 2018 season short in September after undergoing surgery on her right shoulder.

Sharapova is seeded only 30th at Melbourne Park, where she won the 2008 title for one of her five Grand Slam trophies but hasn’t been past the quarterfinals since 2015.

Sharapova missed the tournament in 2017 during a 15-month doping suspension that was triggered by a positive doping test during the previous year’s Australian Open.

Wozniacki was the No. 3 seed in Australia, a year after beating Simona Halep in the final to claim her first major championship.

Next for Sharapova is a matchup against Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, who beat Maria Sakkari 7-5, 6-1 to equal her best showing at any major tournament.

“I know it’s going to be a tough crowd,” Sharapova said.

No. 15-seeded Barty took two nearly years off from the tennis tour after the 2014 U.S. Open and played cricket during that time.

“Her story is phenomenal,” Sharapova said. “I know she took a little break and came back and just resurged.”

Against Wozniacki, Sharapova hung in there in a back-and-forth contest.

Wozniacki led 3-2 in the third set after holding at love. But Sharapova finally gained the upper hand with a break for a 4-3 lead, clinched with that big forehand she was so excited about.

After holding to go up 5-3, Sharapova broke yet again to end it, closing with a big cross-court backhand.

“The level was quite high,” Sharapaova said. “I knew I was going to get a tough match.”

In other women’s matches Friday, 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimovashowed why there are those who consider her a possible future star, producing one spectacular shot after another to upset 11th-seeded Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-3, 6-2 and reach the fourth round.

Anisimova is the youngest American to get this far at Melbourne Park since Jennifer Capriati in 1993, and at any Grand Slam tournament since Serena Williams at the 1998 French Open.

“This is an unreal feeling,” Anisimova said in an on-court interview. “I can’t believe that this is happening right now.”

Anisimova’s first trip to Australia, and third appearance at a major tournament, now progresses to Week 2 and a matchup against two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who defeated Belinda Bencic 6-1, 6-4 on Friday night.

Also Friday, No. 5 Sloane Stephens survived two tough tiebreak sets to beat No. 31 Petra Martic 7-6, 7-6.

Stephens moves on to face Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia, who defeated Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-0, 6-3 earlier in the day.