Sharapova defeats Camerin at the Nasdaq-100 Open

Maria Sharapova saved eight set points before finally grinding out a 6-2 7-6 third-round victory over Maria Elena Camerin at the Nasdaq-100 Open.

By contrast, Amelie Mauresmo made straightforward progress, defeating fellow Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli for the third time with a 6-4 6-0 win.


Top seed Mauresmo now plays 14th-seeded Ana Ivanovic of Serbia and Montenegro, who beat Ukrainian Alona Bondarenko 6-3 5-7 6-3.

Sharapova, debuting a new black corset-look top, advanced despite making 38 unforced errors against the Italian ranked 79th. She faced a battle in the second set, trailing 1-4 before salvaging victory in one hour, 44 minutes with a backhand winner yesterday.

She now faces fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko, who defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova of the Ukraine 6-1 6-4.