Wimbledon 2012: Maria Sharapova overcomes shaky service game to defeat Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan

Maria Sharapova struggled with her serve again in windy conditions at Wimbledon and had to rally from a break down in the second set Friday to beat Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan 6-1, 6-4 and reach the fourth round and a rematch with Sabine Lisicki.

Sharapova breezed past world number 63 Hsieh despite some serious issues with her serve in the windy conditions on Court One. The French Open champion’s reward for a typically gritty display is a last 16 meeting with German 15th seed Lisicki in a repeat of last year’s Wimbledon semi-final clash which the Russian won in straight sets.

Hsieh became the first Taiwanese woman to reach the third round at Wimbledon in the Open area after beating Stephanie Foretz Gacon in the previous round. But the 26-year-old had only gone further in a grand slam once in her career – when she reached the last 16 at the 2008 Australian Open – and her hopes of emulating that feat against Sharapova always looked a long shot.

Sharapova, who won Wimbledon in 2004, was quick to impose herself on Hsieh with a break in the third game of the match…

via Wimbledon 2012: Maria Sharapova overcomes shaky service game to defeat Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan – Telegraph.