Russian Blondes Duel in the Desert – Maria Sharapova and Maria Kirilenko

Written by: Staff on 16th March 2012

Russian Blondes Duel in the Desert - Maria Sharapova and Maria Kirilenko

epa03146677 Maria Sharapova (R) of Russia shakes hands with Maria Kirilenko (L) of Russia after defeating her at the BNP Paribas Open tennis in Indian Wells, California, USA, 15 March 2012. EPA/MICHAEL NELSON |

Indian Wells, CA – On a late Thursday afternoon with the setting sun casting large stadium-shadows on both player and court, Maria Sharapova outlasted Maria Kirilenko 3-6 7-5 6-2 in a three-hour five-minute marathon. The match up featured two blonde-haired women from Russia with the same first name and piercing grunts to match. It turned into a marathon seesaw battle full of winners, errors, and injury.

Kirilenko drew blood first, halting Sharapova’s game plan in the first set with a display of control and power. Sharapova was in need of help and she called her coach Thomas Hogstedt during the first changeover to discuss a new strategy. It finally kicked in during the second set and after some high drama games with multiple breaks of serve Sharapova evened the match at a set all. The level of play increased but due to all of her long matches in earlier rounds, Kirilenko was forced to take an injury timeout to deal with a foot injury. Kirilenko was down and out, dropping the first four games of the third set before succumbing. Sharapova now faces Ana Ivanovic in the semifinals tomorrow.

Topics: Ana Ivanovic, Maria Kirilenko, Maria Sharapova