Miami 2013: Maria Sharapova eases into third round despite power cut
Miami 2013: Maria Sharapova says she was unaffected by a blackout after a 6-2 6-0 victory over Eugenie Bouchard on Friday
Maria Sharapova says she was unaffected by a power blackout at the Sony Open in Miami on Friday night as the world No2 sealed a 6-2 6-0 victory over Eugenie Bouchard.
The Russian third seed was in ruthless form against her Canadian opponent as the 25-year-old booked her place in the third round in less than an hour.
Sharapova dealt superbly with a power cut which resulted in the floodlights temporarily going off as she edged closer to becoming just the third woman to win back-to-back titles in Indian Wells and Miami after Steffi Graf in 1994 and 1996 and Kim Clijsters in 2005.
“I was just trying to find a quiet corner where I could just rest and just wait it out,” said Sharapova.
“I have been on the tour for many years and I have been part of a few delays.
“Maybe not a power outage, but you treat it as maybe a rain delay. You go in and you have to just be ready [to] do a quick warm-up and be ready for the match.”
Sharapova is bidding to win the Miami title for the first time after losing in four previous finals, including a straight-sets loss to Agnieszka Radwanska in last year’s showpiece.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will face a fellow Russian in the third round, Elena Vesnina, who was a 6-4 6-2 winner over Donna Vekic.
