Sharapova stretches run
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ByEurosport
Published 20/10/2004 at 16:48 GMT
Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova stretched her winning streak to ten matches on Wednesday, fighting her way past Daniela Hantuchova 6-4 7-5. Hitting with greater consistency from the baseline to reach the Zurich quarter-finals, the second seed now faces
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Dubbed the "battle of the beauties" by one local newspaper, the match brought together two players whose photogenic qualities often draw more attention than their groundstrokes.
Wednesday's match proved just as attractive with the tall blondes contesting several thrilling rallies.
After beating Hantuchova 6-3 6-1 in the third round at Wimbledon, the fourth-seeded Sharapova had to work a little harder for her victory in Zurich.
Winning the first set after a single break, the 17-year-old Russian was herself broken in the sixth game of the second set.
Serving to stay in the set trailing 5-2, the world number seven upped her performance another notch taking the next five games to wrap up her 10th straight victory.
The biggest surprise of the day came in a first round encounter between two 16-year-olds, Ana Ivanovic of Serbia & Montenegro and France's Tatiana Golovin.
Ivanovic, ranked 156th, beat the world number 29 after a remarkable recovery from 5-1 down in the final set to win an entertaining match 7-5 6-7 7-6.
The Belgrade schoolgirl, who has won five events on the ITF women's circuit this year, now faces American Venus Williams in a second round match scheduled for Thursday.
The winner will meet Sharapova in the quarter-finals.
Top seed Elena Dementieva will also be in second round action on Thursday when she is due to face her fellow Russian and namesake Elena Bovina.
Bovina, the world number 18, overcame Italy's Francesca Schiavone 6-3 7-6 (7-5).
In another second round on Wednesday, sixth seeded Russian Vera Zvonareva crashed out to Alicia Molik of Australia, 6-3 5-7 6-2.
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