World number two Maria Sharapova reached the quarter-finals of the French Open courtesy of a 6-4 6-7 6-2 win over Klara Zakopalova this afternoon.
It was a round four match that saw both players struggle to build any momentum on their own service games.
Neither was able to hold their own serves in the opening three matches, which resulted in Sharapova taking a 2-1 lead.
The Russian then pressed home her advantage by finding some form with the ball in her hand to go on to win the opening set.
The second set followed a similar trend, with 30-year-old Zakopalova and Sharapova both surrendering their service games frequently.
As a result, the set headed for a tie-break which Zakopalova soon took advantage of to have three set points. Despite squandering two of those, she managed to force a decider at the third time of asking.
Zakopalova was unable to build upon that success as Sharapova once again got the better of her Czech Republic opponent's serve.
She went on to dominate the set to seal her passage through to the final eight of the competition in a little over three hours.
Sharapova will take on either Arantxa Rus or Kaia Kanepi in the last eight at Roland Garros.
Liam Apicella
